


Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You

by FanniAlak



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/F, F/M, Harry Potter AU, Jegulus, Jegulus AU, M/M, Marauders, Marauders AU, Modern Marauders (Harry Potter), Post-Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Starchaser, Wolfstar AU, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 55,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29228481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanniAlak/pseuds/FanniAlak
Summary: Remus works at a primary school. Sirius owns a gym and tries to hide his relationship with Remus from James. James tries to hide his crush on Regulus from everyone. Regulus has something to hide, too. Lily is too smart for these boys.A Wolfstar & Jegulus AU fic!
Relationships: Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 85
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I'm too big of a Jily stan to have ever even read a Jegulus fic before. And now I'm writing one. And I love it. Definitely my new fave ship.

"We should probably get up", Remus lifted his head off Sirius's chest and smiled up at him: "The others will be here soon." 

Sirius groaned and wrapped his arms tighter around Remus's bare back, making him laugh. Sirius in his bed was his favourite. No – Sirius in the kitchen. In the shower. At the gym. He couldn't decide. Sirius wherever and whenever. He still couldn't quite believe this was happening. "Come on", he planted a kiss on Sirius's collarbone: "Unless you _want_ them to see?" 

Sirius glanced down to see Remus looking at him, eyes serious. Sirius shifted under his weight and sighed. "You know I want to", he said, sweeping a strand of Remus's light brown hair behind his ear: "I just... they don't know. Anything." 

"I know", Remus gave a small smile: "And I'm not forcing you to tell them, of course not, I'd never do that." He sighed and rolled off of Sirius's body, now laying on his side, propped up on one elbow. He placed his hand on Sirius's chest. "You tell them when you're ready, okay? But you can't tell me it wouldn't be _easier_..." 

"I know!" Sirius looked at him, apologetically: "I really do. I'm sor–" 

Remus shut him up with a kiss, and Sirius mumbled the rest of the words into his mouth. "Do – not – apologize – for – something – like – that", Remus said in between kisses. Then, eyes a bit more serious again, he said: "Honestly. No pressure. Besides, keeping this a secret is kind of exciting." 

"Oh yeah?" Sirius quirked an eyebrow, smirking. He rolled over and pushed himself up to straddle Remus. 

"Get off me", Remus laughed, but fell silent when Sirius started kissing his neck. He could do this all day. "Sirius..." he sighed, closing his eyes and smiling: "Think about James. And Lily. And Peter... they'll be here any minute now..." 

"I don't want to think about them", Sirius mumbled against his neck, nibbling at his skin there lightly. Remus let out a soft groan and brought his hands to Sirius' hair. Another thing he was allowed to do now, after years and years of _wanting to_. 

The front door went in the hallway and Sirius straightened up. His eyes found Remus's. Remus stiffened and stared back at him, eyes wide. " _I'm here_!" Lily's voice came from the living room: " _Boys_?" 

"Fuck", Remus mumbled and pushed Sirius off: "I told you." 

Sirius quickly pulled on a t-shirt and gave Remus one more kiss before running out of the room. " _Over here, Lils_!" he shouted. Remus rubbed his face with his hands and went into the bathroom to sort himself out. His hair was a mess from Sirius's touch and he had to pull on a turtleneck sweater to cover the small bruise on his Adam's apple. He wasn't mad about it. 

Sirius was in the kitchen pulling out bottles and cans from the fridge when Remus finally made an appearance. 

"There you are!" Lily smiled and pulled him in for a hug: "Been napping, dear?" She ruffled Remus's already messy hair. 

"Oh– um, yeah", Remus laughed lightly, ignoring the look Sirius was giving him over Lily's shoulder. "Something like that." 

James and Peter arrived shortly after that, straight from football practise. Both their hairs were still dripping water onto their shirts from their showers. And then there was only one more person missing–

"Who's that?" James frowned when there was a knock on the door. He looked around; everyone was already there, except Mary and Dorcas, but they had work and couldn't make it tonight. 

"Just Regulus", Sirius clung himself up from the sofa and went to open the door: "I haven't seen him in ages so I asked him to stop by." 

"Oh?" James sat up straight and ran his hand through his wet hair. Remus gave him a funny look, and James cocked an eyebrow back at him. "What?" he whispered. 

"Be nice", Remus mouthed as Sirius came back, Regulus in tow. "Hey, Reggie", he smiled up at him: "Alright?" 

"Hey", Regulus smiled back, then turned to greet the others. Remus's eyes met with Sirius's, and Sirius jerked his head towards the kitchen. Remus stood up and followed him, mumbling the others something about getting a drink. Sirius turned to smile at him when it was just the two of them again. 

"What?" Remus asked warily, observing the look on Sirius's face. 

"I think Reggie's got someone", he whispered. 

"What, like a girl?" 

"I think so..." Sirius repeated: "I mean, he literally hasn't even called me for two weeks, and you know he's been quiet for _months_ , blames it on work... _and_ he has a hickey." 

"Oh", Remus laughed: "Well, good for him, right? I mean... yeah, good for him." 

"Right", Sirius smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Remus recognized that look. 

"Do not tease him about it", Remus cocked his head: "Please. If he wants to keep it a secret, then... I mean, _we're_ keeping _us_ a secret." 

"Oh, worry not, Re", Sirius flashed him an angelic smile and went to return to the living room: "I won't say a word to him about it." Remus snorted when he saw Sirius cross his fingers behind his back. 

***

James stared down at his cup. Lily was talking animatedly with Peter in the corner, Remus and Sirius had run into the kitchen, probably to get something to drink, and Regulus was... there. James's heart was practically pounding in his chest. He hadn't seen him ages, at least that's what it felt like. Regulus was good at disappearing, burying himself in work or whatever it was that seemed to keep him so busy all the time. But he was there now, and James couldn't get a word out of his mouth. From the corner of his eye, he could see a shadow appear in front of him. He glanced up to meet Regulus's eyes. 

"Hey", Regulus smiled, a bottle of beer in his hand. He was wearing black straight leg jeans and a green sweater, a golden chain hanging down from his neck. James tried to keep his eyes on his face. 

"Hey", he choked out, then scooted a bit to the side to make space for Regulus. He sat down, casually leaning against the armrest. James tried hard not to stare. 

"What's up?" Regulus asked. James took a swig of his own drink and told himself to relax. _It's just Regulus._ Just your best friend's bother who you like. Like, _really_ like. 

"Nothing much", he turned to look at Regulus and tried to smile naturally. _Oh god_. Oh no. There was a small bruise on Regulus's neck, just barely visible beneath the neckline of his shirt. James cleared his throat and forced his eyes back to Regulus's face. "What about you? Been, um– been busy at work?" 

"Oh, yeah", Regulus nodded: "Been working nearly every night the past few weeks. Kind of crazy." 

"Mm", James smiled. He glanced at the hickey again. He felt stupid now. Of course someone like Regulus would have _someone_. And to make it worse, it was probably a girl. James kept giving himself false hope. He knew it and did nothing about it. 

"You should stop by sometime", Regulus was saying, glancing to where Sirius and Remus now returned from the kitchen: "Haven't seen you at the pub in ages." 

Grimmauld Pub. Regulus was right, James hadn't gone there for weeks. He had been avoiding it, really. And the reason to that was sitting next to him right now. "Yeah, maybe–" 

"Well, Reg", Sirius came to his rescue. _Thank goodness._ He crashed down on the sofa next to his brother and flung an arm over his shoulder: "Where have you been hiding the past few weeks?" 

"Hiding?" Regulus cocked an eyebrow: "I've told you, loads of shifts at the pub. Bella quit last week, I've had to cover for her." James noticed him nervously picking on the label of his bottle. Regulus being nervous was a new sight. 

"Oh, of course", Sirius nodded very unconvincingly: "Walk into an electric fence, did you?" He tapped Regulus's skin where the bruise was and grinned. 

"Oh fuck off", Regulus edged further away from him – closer to James – and shoved his hand away: "That's none of your business." James shifted a little further away to make sure their thighs wouldn't touch. Since when was _he_ nervous like this? 

"Just asking. And what about you, James?" Sirius reached to ruffle his hair: "Gotten over your crush on Lily yet?" 

Oh fuck. "That was ages ago", James rolled his eyes: "Been over it for years." It was true – Lily had been his first proper crush, but that was before had James realized he was gay. It was actually Lily who had _helped_ him realize, and she was still the only person who knew. It had been two years, and James still didn't feel ready to tell the others. He didn't know if he ever would be ready. 

Remus had come out when they were all eighteen, and James hadn't thought much of it back then – Remus was still Remus, his best friend who he loved dearly. Him being gay didn't change anything, of course not. But now James knew just how hard it must have been for Remus to tell his friends. And now James wanted to tell _Remus_ that he wasn't the only one, that he wasn't alone. He wanted to tell him, he really did. But he couldn't. Not just yet. 

"If you say so", Sirius was saying, eyes flicking to Lily, who was laughing at something with Remus, both of them clinging onto each other as they tried to contain themselves. James noticed Sirius's eyes going soft for a second, before he lowered his gaze and smiled to himself. James frowned, and then his stomach dropped when he realized. Did _Sirius_ like Lily? Was that why he was asking about her? 

"I'm going to go get a refill", he shook his empty cup before him and got up from the couch. Sirius mumbled something about getting himself a beer and got up, too. Peter took his spot on the sofa and started talking football with Regulus, who looked like he would rather have not. 

James walked over to the drinks on the counter and started searching for the gin. He could hear Sirius moving behind him. James closed his eyes. He had hoped for a chill, worry-free night, and now Regulus was there, looking good as ever and _obviously_ seeing someone. _Gosh_ , the universe had something against James. 

"Hey", Sirius whispered from the fridge where he was searching for a beer: "Have you been to Grimmauld lately?" 

"Huh?" James turned around and pushed his glasses up his nose: "Oh, no... not for a bit. Why?" 

Sirius shrugged. "Just wondering... you know, if Regulus really is at work as much as he says he is, maybe him and that girl he's hiding are seeing each other there." 

There it is again. That _girl_. "Yeah", James mumbled and turned back to the drinks, finally spotting the gin: "I wouldn't know." 

"Mm", Sirius bit his lip absentmindedly. "Come back to the den, eh? I'll go ahead already." 

"Sirius", James suddenly blurted, turning back to look at him. He was clutching the bottle of gin in his hand and cleared his throat: "Do you like Lily?" 

"What?" Sirius choked out, his eyes widening a bit. James took that as a yes. 

"It's okay if you do, you should go for it", he hurried to say: "I really don't like her like that anymore, so you know... if _you_ do – go for it." 

"I–" Sirius breathed, then laughed: "No, no I don't. Honest." 

"Alright", James nodded. He thought it better not to push it – Sirius would tell him when he was ready. 

"Why?" he asked slowly, frowning. 

James shrugged. "Just saw the way you were looking at her out there, laughing her ass off with Remus." 

"Oh", Sirius blinked: " _Oh_. Yeah– no. No." 

"Okay", James smiled: "Just thought I'd ask." 

Sirius nodded blankly, then jerked his head towards the living room: "Let's get back, eh?" And just as he was about to walk out of the kitchen, Regulus appeared in the doorway and blocked his way. Oh dear god. James felt himself flush at merely the sight of him. 

"Sorry", Regulus smiled and swept past Sirius: "Oh, um, I meant to ask you– and you", he nodded at James: "There's this open-mic night at the pub next Friday, if you wanted to come and play something?" 

Brilliant. Just what James needed, more Regulus _who he couldn't have_. He turned to look at Sirius, who shrugged: "I'm down." 

"Uh, sure", James nodded in agreement, for some unexplainable reason. He almost regretted it immediately. Almost. He missed playing. "I'll, um, have to check that I don't have work. But yeah, maybe." 

"Cool", Regulus smiled, then cracked open a new beer and quickly jumped back. "Oh, fuck _me_..." he held the bottle away from his body as it foamed all over the floor – and his shirt. James swallowed. Regulus groaned: "Hey, Sirius, do you have a shirt I can lend–?" 

"Yeah, I'll go get one–" 

" _Siriuuus_!" Lily shouted from the den: "Come look at this picture I found of Remus back in primary school!" 

"Coming!" Sirius grinned: "James, will you show Reg where my t-shirts are?" 

"I don't–" 

"Thanks!" he sang and disappeared into the living room: " _Show me baby Rem, Lils_." 

"Here", James jerked his head in the direction of Sirius's bedroom. Regulus set the bottle down on the counter and followed him out of the kitchen. The sounds of the party muffled when the bedroom door swung shut. "They're in the top drawer over there", James pointed at Sirius' closet and sat down on the bed. He could hear the faraway laughter of the others in the den. 

"Thanks", Regulus smiled and went to look through the drawer. He pulled out a brown ACDC t-shirt – Sirius's favourite – and turned back to look at James. "He's had this for ages", he grinned, lifting the shirt to show James: "I remember when he would only take it off if he had to shower." 

James laughed at the memory. "Yeah, I remember that too. He used to be obsessed–" he trailed off as Regulus threw the t-shirt onto the bed and started pulling his beer-stained sweater over his head, the muscles on his stomach tensing. James cleared his throat and looked away. "Didn't know you have a tattoo", he said negligently, pretending to be interested about the book on Sirius's nightstand. That's weird – Sirius had never been a reader. 

"Yeah, got it in Madrid last summer", Regulus said, turning to look at himself in the mirror: "It's Canis Major, the constellation of–" 

"Sirius", James finished for him. 

"Right", Regulus smiled at him through the mirror: "Sirius has got mine, Leo – on his left fucking ass cheek." 

James grinned: "Explains why I haven't seen it, then." Regulus laughed and ran a hand through his hair. He nodded towards the door. 

"Right, shall we get back?" 

"Yeah", James flashed him a smile and quickly got up from the bed. He now had to battle the image of Regulus's tattoo popping up in his head. Just below his abs, above his hip, near the line that lead down to– 

"There you are!" Sirius looked up from the floor where he was sitting next to Lily: "Hey– that's my favourite shirt!" 

"You'll get it back", Regulus smirked and sat down next to him: "Well, what are we doing?" 

"We were just about to start playing truth or dare", Peter said excitedly. Sirius groaned. 

"Can we just play truth? I don't feel like getting up ever again." He leaned his head back onto the armchair behind him. Remus was sitting on it and moved his knee out from below Sirius's head. 

"Alright", Peter shrugged: "James, I'll ask you first... um– ha! If you had to pick one person in this room, who'd you rather kiss?" 

"Oh", James glanced around himself. He had an answer immediately, but he couldn't bloody well say it out loud. He hoped his cheeks didn't look as red as they felt. He could blame that on the alcohol, maybe. "Um, I mean... well. Lily, because you know... yeah." 

Lily flashed him a smile, one that the others probably thought was just normal, but James knew what it meant. _It's okay_ , it said: _That's the only answer you could give right now, and that's okay_. He smiled back. 

"Predictable", Sirius raised an eyebrow: "I'll go next... Lils, who would _you_ kiss out of us five?" 

"Oh dear", Lily rolled her eyes: "No one." 

"Oh come on, you have to choose", Remus nudged her with his toe. 

"Well– James, I suppose", she shrugged, slapping Remus on the knee when he made a noise of disbelief. "I would have chosen you if I didn't know you're gay!" she laughed. Remus grinned down at her. 

"Go on, then", Sirius said from the floor, casually leaning back, one elbow on the armchair next to Remus's leg. 

"What?" Lily blinked. 

"Kiss James", Sirius nodded at him: "You both said you'd want to kiss each other." He winked at James. James stared back. Was this some stupid way of making Lily notice him? Did Sirius want Lily to kiss _himself_ instead of James? Was he jealous? 

"Yeah, if I had to choose", Lily hit him with a pillow: "Piss off, Black, you just want to watch." 

_Thank god for Lily_ , James thought to himself as the others burst out laughing and then proceeded to play the game like nothing had happened. James could feel Regulus's eyes on him. Or maybe he was imagining it. He didn't dare find out. 

"Alrighty, I want to ask Sirius", Lily smiled slyly, then bit her lip as she thought of a question. "Ah! Have any secret tattoos?" 

"Oh, _many_ ", Sirius raised an eyebrow. 

"Mm", Lily narrowed her eyes: "Show us one." 

"What?" Sirius blinked, then laughed lightly: "Oh, I don't know if you want to see." 

"What do you mean?" Lily smiled: "Well? Show us your most embarrassing one." 

"I don't have any _embarrassing_ _ones_ ", Sirius poked his tongue out. 

"Oh, yes you do", Remus grinned from his spot on the armchair. "That fucking constellation on your ass–" he froze for a millisecond and cleared his throat: "You know, the one you told me about." 

"Yeah", Sirius glanced at him, then let out a laugh: "Yeah, okay, that one's pretty embarrassing." 

"Hey!" Regulus slapped him in the back of the head: "That's _my_ constellation you're talking about." Everyone laughed. 

Regulus's eyes met James's and he grinned, which made James's heart skip a beat. He smiled back and unintentionally glanced down at where Regulus's tattoo was hidden under his shirt. Regulus seemed to notice and glanced down, gently lifting his fingers to touch the spot. He glanced back up again with a funny look on his face. James could have sworn Regulus's eyes flicked to his lips for a second. He let himself think that was true, but it pained him to know it was probably just his mind playing tricks. 

Regulus only looked away when Remus started asking him a question. James glanced down at the drink in his hands and willed the blush off his cheeks. 

***

Remus fell onto the bed and watched through the open bathroom door as Sirius brushed his teeth. "Wah awe youh stahing ah?" he raised a brow, mouth full of toothpaste. 

"You", Remus cocked an eyebrow and hoisted himself onto his elbows: "Nearly exposed us today." 

Sirius spat into the sink and leaned down to drink from the tap. "Yeah, you did", he said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand: "All because of my stupid butt tattoo." 

"I like your butt–", Remus straightened up, "tattoo." 

"Well, you better", Sirius smiled as he climbed onto the bed. He crawled forward to straddle Remus and pulled him up for a kiss. "James thinks I like Lily", he mumbled into Remus's mouth. 

"He _what_?" Remus choked and pulled back. 

"Thinks I like Lily", Sirius laughed: "I don't know, he just said that I should go for it if I wanted to." 

"Oh, well now I'm jealous", Remus shook his head and lay back down on the pillows: "Always knew you'd leave me for her one day." 

"Mm", Sirius hummed and leaned down to kiss his neck. "I like jealous Remus", he mumbled against his skin. Remus laughed. "Stop laughing", Sirius smirked at him: "I'm trying to seduce you here." 

"Pretty sure you already did that", Remus smiled, then let his head relax against the pillows. Sirius moved up to kiss him on the mouth. 

"Gosh, I wanted to kiss you out there", Sirius ignored him: "You always look so good..." Remus gasped as Sirius's hips rocked into his. 

"I wanted to kiss you too..." he breathed, sliding his hands up to Sirius's hair: "So badly..." 

Sirius kissed him rough on the mouth, gently rocking forward as Remus's eyes fell shut. "Fuck, Sirius", he whispered, earning a groan from Sirius. He moved back down to Remus's neck, biting gently at his skin. 

"You know, Regulus asked me and James to play next week at an open-mic at the pub", he glanced up from where he was breathing against Remus's chest. Remus let out a breathy laugh. Sirius could hardly concentrate on one thing at once. It was cute and drove him mad at the same time. 

"He did? That's nice." 

"Yeah", Sirius said and came back up to Remus's level: "You could come, too." 

"I might", Remus opened his eyes and cocked an eyebrow: "I haven't heard you two play in ages." 

"No, no, no", Sirius shook his head, dark curls bouncing and tickling Remus's skin. He put on his best puppy expression and Remus knew what was coming. 

"Absolutely not", he said, cocking his head. Sirius mirrored his expression. 

"Come on", he moaned and kissed the corner of Remus's mouth: "You know you're good." 

"And you know I don't like to play in front of other people." 

"You've never tried." 

"Sirius." 

"It's only the drums–" 

" _Sirius_!" 

Sirius sighed and pressed his face into the hollow of Remus's neck. Remus couldn't help but smile. He loved sulky Sirius. "I'm sorry", he laughed: "But it's been ages since I've last played!" 

Sirius looked up again. "You could change that." 

"No." 

"Please." 

"No." 

" _Please._ We need a drummer." 

"Ask someone else!" 

"No", Sirius placed a kiss on his left shoulder, then on the right one: "We want you. I'll do anything." 

Remus grinned. "Anything?" 

" _Anything_. What do you want?" 

"I'll come up with something", he cocked a sly eyebrow, eyes wandering to Sirius's bare chest. Sirius snorted and kissed him again. 

"Will you consider it?" 

"Fine", he shook his head, and Sirius let out a pleased sound. Remus smiled. He'd allow Sirius anything. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus gets suspicious.

"Good morning." 

Regulus rolled over and smiled when he received a kiss on the corner of his mouth. The past month had been bliss, not having to wake up alone every morning. He felt a warm touch on his cheek. 

"Have a nice night?" 

"Yeah", he nodded against the pillow and opened one eye: "I asked Sirius and James to perform at the open mic." 

"Ah, _James_." 

"Shut up." 

"And?" 

"They said yes." 

" _Yes_!" 

Regulus opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Lachlan grinning. 

"They asked about you", Regulus smirked and swept a strand of Lachlan's blonde hair behind his ear: "Well, not _you_ – they think you're a girl." 

"Oh?" Lachlan laughed: "Does that mean I'm pretty?" 

"Very", Regulus smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. "Busy at the pub last night?" 

"Nah", Lachlan shrugged: "The usual. Kind of annoyed by Bella's shit, though. I mean, who just _quits_? Doubled my workload." 

"Mm", Regulus bit his lip, thinking. They really did need a replacement for Bella, if they didn't want to work multiple shifts a day. 

"Well, I'm finally going to meet your friends next week, then", Lachlan was saying, leaning over Regulus to kiss along his jawline. "You going to introduce me to them?" he glanced at Regulus and grinned. 

"Yeah", Regulus smirked back: "As my co-worker." 

"Ouch", Lachlan sucked air through his teeth. Regulus laughed. 

"What, what do you expect me to say? _Hey guys, this is Lachlan, we fuck every now and then but that's about it. Oh yeah,_ and _I'm gay_." 

Lachlan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?" 

Regulus snorted. "Sorry, co-worker will have to do for now." 

"Shame", Lachlan mumbled in his heavy Australian accent and pressed another kiss to Regulus's jaw. "Can't wait to meet James, though, if he's as gorgeous as you tell me he is." 

"And straight, probably", Regulus said: "You're not jealous, are you?" 

"Why would I be?" Lachlan smiled. " _Thi_ _s_ ", he gestured at their bodies, "is temporary, we made a promise." 

"I know", Regulus nodded. Lachlan moved down to his neck and Regulus dropped his head back to expose more skin. Lachlan laughed softly, that joyous, light laugh that had caught Regulus's attention the second Lachlan had walked into the pub on his first day. "You're needy when you're hungover", he smiled, sucking a small bruise below Regulus's ear. 

"Only with you", Regulus mumbled, spreading his legs a little. Lachlan lifted his head and cocked an amused eyebrow. "What?" Regulus smirked. Lachlan shook his head, all perfectly white teeth showing, and climbed on top of him, pressing their bodies together. Regulus pulled him in for a kiss. 

"Would it be so horrible?" Lachlan mumbled into his mouth: "If your friends knew?" 

"Would it be so horrible if _your_ friends knew?" Regulus bit back. They had had this conversation before, but never seriously. They teased each other about it, and Regulus didn't mind. Lachlan was laid-back like that, he didn't take anything personally. 

"Yes, They're all straight as a dancing pole", Lachlan cocked his head: "But you've got that– that..." 

"Remus", Regulus helped. Lachlan nodded. 

"Yeah, Remus." 

"I'm not saying they wouldn't understand", Regulus sighed: "I just don't feel like I'm ready." 

"I know", Lachlan smiled, kissing him gently: "Me neither. I'm sorry." Regulus smiled up at him and tangled his fingers into Lachlan's hair. He liked Lachlan. A lot. He was cheerful and easygoing and honest. He made Regulus feel... not alone. And happy. It was easy with Lachlan – no strings attached. 

Regulus smoothed his hands down Lachlan's sides and toyed with the rim of his pyjama bottoms. Lachlan let out a breathy grunt and Regulus went to rub him over the fabric, earning another sound from him. Lachlan rocked his hips forward and Regulus gasped at the sudden pressure. " _Fuck_ ", he breathed, and Lachlan repeated the motion. 

"I'm lucky", he muttered, pressing sloppy kisses on Regulus's jaw and neck: "Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you behind the counter that day..." Regulus closed his eyes, his body rocking back and forth at the same rhythm with Lachlan's. "And when you kissed me the first time... _fuck_." 

"Imagine what I felt like", Regulus breathed, pressing his fingers into Lachlan's bare back. He remembered that day like it had been yesterday rather than over a month ago. Lachlan hummed happily and then pulled away slightly. 

"I'd love to do this but I'm going to miss my run", he mumbled, giving Regulus one more kiss before hoisting himself up onto his knees. Regulus closed his eyes and sighed. This is how it always went, and it's exactly what he had agreed to. It didn't hurt, but it left him feeling cold. 

"Jonah?" 

"Yep", Lachlan said, bouncing on one foot to get his running shorts on. 

"I need a shirt", Regulus hoisted himself up onto one elbow. His own from last night was stained with beer. 

Lachlan jerked his head in the direction of his closet. "Take whatever you can find." 

"Thanks." 

"I gotta go. Don't expect me back." 

Regulus cocked an eyebrow. "Don't expect me to be here when you _do_ get back." Lachlan laughed and jogged to the bed to kiss him, slowly and gently. 

"Never." 

***

" _Morniiing_ ", Sirius's voice came from the door. 

"In the kitchen", Remus shouted back, and soon Sirius appeared, flushed and covered in sweat, t-shirt sticking to his skin. Remus smiled and turned the stove off. It was decided – Sirius after a run was his favourite. Panting and full of endorphins and adrenaline. Sirius grinned and strode over to him, pressing him against the kitchen counter. 

"Hey", Remus huffed a laugh and tilted his head to kiss Sirius: "Good run?" 

"Always", Sirius kissed him back: "What's cooking?" 

"Breakfast", Remus nodded at the eggs and bacon sizzling on the pan. 

"Smells delicious. I'm gonna take a shower." 

"Do you have to?" Remus bit his lip, trailing a finger along Sirius's shoulder, where the muscles were showing through his shirt. Sirius snorted. 

"Not if you want me to be all sweaty and disgusting–" 

"–and hot–" 

"– and _sweaty_." 

"Fine", Remus kissed him again and turned to switch the stove back on: "Coffee?" 

"Please", Sirius smiled, kissed his neck from behind and then jumped into the bathroom. Remus heard the shower starting to run and seconds later, Sirius's muffled singing filled the room. Remus closed his eyes and listened. He loved Sirius's voice. It was low and controlled, and always made him feel calm. He didn't get to listen for long, though – a sharp knock on the front door brought him back to reality. He lowered the heat again and went to open. They weren't expecting anyone, but it wasn't too unusual for James or Peter to pop by unannounced every now and then. 

But it _was_ unusual for Regulus to pop by unannounced – whenever. 

"Oh– hi", Remus raised his brows in surprise: "Um... Sirius is in the shower." 

"Brought his shirt back", Regulus showed the brown fabric in his hands: "I was just walking to the pub and figured I'd bring it." 

"Yeah, thanks", Remus smiled and tried not to look too knowing. Regulus' apartment was in the other direction. He didn't have to walk past their place to get to the pub. Not from _his_ apartment, at least. There was a new hickey, Remus now noticed, just below Regulus's earlobe. He cleared his throat: "Breakfast?" 

"Oh, I don't know", Regulus waved his hand: "I really do have to get to the pub – Annie needs help with some paperwork." 

"It's nearly ready", Remus jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen. 

"Sirius...?" 

"He won't mind", Remus shook his head quickly: "Promise. He's missed you a lot, I can tell." 

"Yeah, I'm... Well, I really _have_ been busy at the pub", Regulus smiled sheepishly, then tapped the bruise on his neck: "And... otherwise." Remus laughed. 

"Understood", he smiled: "So – breakfast?" 

"Fine, alright", Regulus smiled, stepping in and closing the door behind him: "Thanks." 

"Nice shirt, by the way", Remus nodded at the embroidered koala on Regulus's chest. Remus adored both Sirius and Regulus's style, they could make anything work. Regulus glanced down, smiling slightly. 

"Oh, thanks. It's– yeah, I like it." 

Regulus followed him into the kitchen and Remus finished cooking and making coffee. The bathroom door opened just as he was carrying everything to their small dining table, and Sirius came into view, towel wrapped low around his hips. "Oh _Remyyy_ ", he said in a sing-song voice and inhaled the scent flowing around the room: "I could just–" Remus cleared his throat and gave him a pointed look. Sirius frowned, then turned around to see Regulus sitting at one of the chairs. His face dropped for a millisecond, but he covered it fairly well. Remus turned back to the cupboards. 

"Reg." 

"Came to drop off your shirt." 

"I asked him to stay for breakfast", Remus said over his shoulder. Sirius nodded and smiled. 

"Yeah, cool. I'll just, um– you know – go put on some clothes." He turned around and hurried into his bedroom. Remus tried not to smile too widely. Sirius was adorable when he was fidgety. But it had been a close call, he couldn't deny that. 

***

Sirius dried his hair on the towel and hung it over his door to dry. He returned to the kitchen and tried not to look fazed. His heart was still beating faster than usual. What would have happened if he had said something... bad? He had been so close to just storming in and wrapping his arms around Remus from behind, pressing their bodies together... So close. That would have meant quite a bit of explaining to do. Oh god. 

He sat down next to Regulus and Remus brought three mugs of steaming coffee to the table. There were three loaded plates of eggs, bacon, beans and toast, and Sirius's stomach growled at the sight. Remus was too good for him. 

"Day off?" he asked his brother as he reached for his own cup. Regulus shook his head, mouth full of toast. 

"Was just headed to the pub", he finally got out: "I had a bit of time so I decided to drop the shirt off."

Sirius raised a brow. "How come you hadn't already eaten breakfast?" 

Regulus shrugged. "Planned on getting something on the way. Then Remus asked me to–" 

"Why didn't you eat at home?" Sirius bit back his smirk. He was enjoying this too much. Remus kicked him under the table. 

Regulus scowled at him and fished a slice of tomato with his fork. "I wasn't at home", he said negligently, and Sirius leaned back on his chair, grinning. _Ha_. 

"Where were you th–" 

"Oh-kay", Remus kicked his shin again, and then smiled at Regulus: "Sirius told me you have an open-mic event coming up?" 

"Yeah", Regulus nodded, still sending annoyed glances Sirius' way: "Reckon it's gonna be one hell of a busy night." 

"Hush", Sirius pointed a finger at him: "Don't say that to Remus, he'll chicken out and we'll be left without a drummer." 

"You play?" Regulus raised his brows at Remus, leaning slightly closer. It was Remus's turn to glare at Sirius. 

"A little", he said, then turned to Sirius: "I said I'd _consider_ it." 

"I think you should do it", Regulus shrugged: "The atmosphere's always pretty chill and honestly, people are too drunk to even notice if you mess up." 

"See?" Sirius spread his arms: "Now you _can't_ say no." 

"Fine", Remus sighed and rolled his eyes: "But I'm really rusty, I can promise you that." 

"You could come and practise at the pub", Regulus glanced up from his plate, fork halfway to his mouth: "We open at three, but I can let you in before that if you want?" 

"Are you sure?" Remus raised his brows. 

"Yeah, yeah", Regulus nodded: "You can come with me right now if you're not busy?" 

"You know what, I might", Remus smiled: "I'd feel a lot better with some practise beforehand." 

"Great!" Sirius clapped his hands together: "We can all walk together, I have James's PT session to go to." 

"Oh?" 

"Oh what?" 

Regulus cleared his throat. "Nothing, I just– didn't know you're his PT." 

"Yeah, well I'm many people's PT", Sirius cocked an eyebrow: "It's my gym." 

"No, I know that. Whatever, let's just go, okay?" he downed the rest of his coffee and stood up, Remus and Sirius following behind. Sirius helped Remus clear the table while Regulus went to use the bathroom, and they worked in silence until they heard the lock click shut. 

"Nearly exposed twice in – what, twelve hours?" Sirius mumbled from the corner of his mouth. 

"I know", Remus sighed, glancing at the direction of the bathroom: "We have to be– _Sirius_..." 

"What?" Sirius smiled, hand gripping Remus's waist: " _This_ is how I planned our morning to go..." 

"Your brother's in the other room", Remus mumbled, but tilted his head to the side when Sirius started kissing his neck. "And as I was just about to say–" He pushed Sirius away quickly as they heard the toilet flush: "We ought to be more _careful_." 

"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius grinned, biting his lip. Remus smacked him with the tea towel. " _Ouch_." 

"Later", Remus raised an eyebrow just as the door opened and Regulus stepped back into the kitchen. 

"Shall we go?" 

Sirius sighed and glanced at Remus. "Yep." 

***

It was a sunny early afternoon, and Remus closed his eyes as they walked down the street and towards the pub. Sirius was chatting with Regulus a little ahead of him, and Remus tried not to be too obvious about staring at the muscles showing through Sirius's shirt, the one with the gym's logo on the back. 'Godric's Gym' it read. Sirius's pride and joy – and rightfully so. He had worked hard to get the business going with Marlene, and it was blooming. 

Remus almost wanted to start going to the gym just to get Sirius as his personal trainer. 

"Come say hi to Marlene!" Sirius shouted over his shoulder, then turned to Regulus to say something. 

"Reg?" Remus jogged to catch up with them. They were nearly at the gym now. 

"Yeah, we've got time", Regulus said, squinting against the sunlight. His body stiffened suddenly, and Remus blocked the rays with his hand to see what he was looking at. Someone was striding towards them from the other direction. 

"Is that–?" Sirius squinted, too: "Oi! _JAMES_!" 

James waved at them and they walked over to him. He was wearing a pair of football shorts and a white workout vest, and smiled at them brightly. 

"Hope you're not too hungover", Sirius grinned. 

"Could say the same about you", James raised a brow. 

Remus sighed. "He's already been on a run." 

"Of course he has", James laughed: "Hey, Reg." 

"Hey", Regulus gave an awkward wave, one that Remus thought was very out of character for him. He furrowed his brows, but Marlene stepped outside just then, face bright and wearing the same t-shirt as Sirius. 

"Hey guys!" she smiled: "Remus! Where the hell have you been, haven't seen you– _Regulus_?" She looked slightly taken aback: "I haven't seen _you_ in bloody ages, either!" She pulled him into a hug, then turned to Remus and hugged him, too. "What are you all doing here?" 

"I've got work", Regulus nodded towards the pub on the other side of the street: "Remus is coming to practise the drums." 

"You are?" James raised his brows. 

"Yeah, tell _everyone_ , won't you?" Remus raised a brow at Regulus, but smiled. He was kind of excited to play again. It had been ages. 

"And we need to get _your_ ass moving", Sirius slapped James on the butt and jerked him towards the gym. They disappeared from view and Marlene laughed, taking a step towards the door herself. 

"I have to go too, got a yoga class starting soon – see you Friday? I read the poster on the window about the open mic." 

"Yeah, see you then", Regulus nodded, then turned to Remus: "Let's go, you've got two hours until we open." 

The pub was cozy but flooded with natural light. It had been there for a few years, but Remus had only really started going when Regulus had started working there. Annie, Sirius and Regulus's cousin and the owner of the pub, welcomed Remus with a bright smile. 

"Over there", Regulus pointed at the small stage at one corner of the pub, a set of drums, a microphone and a keyboard already there: "We'll be in the back if you need anything." 

"Yeah, thanks", Remus nodded nervously. He watched Annie and Regulus disappear through the staff door and then he was alone. He felt nervous, which was stupid, given that there was no one else there. He slowly walked over to the drums and sat down, taking a deep breath. He hadn't properly played in years, not even by himself, let alone in front of an audience. He picked up the sticks and started drumming, tentatively at first, trying to remember some basic patterns. It all came back to him. 

He had played in the school band back when he was younger. Sirius had played the guitar, and Remus remembered thinking how cool he was even back then, what with his band t-shirts and exquisite way of making every song his own with the smallest, most surprising changes. Sirius still played, mostly at home and on an acoustic, but he seemed to have lost the spark he had had at a younger age. Or maybe he was just trying to hide it. Sirius could be a rock star if he wanted to, in Remus's opinion. 

It was nice, playing again. The sticks felt like they belonged in his hands, and soon he had already forgotten about himself, playing whatever songs he could remember. It was only when the pub door closed with a thump that he remembered where he was. 

"Oh", a blonde boy stood at the door, a backpack slung over his shoulder: "Didn't know we had live music tonight." He had a catchy Australian accent and tanned skin. 

"Oh. no, I'm just... practising", Remus stood up and jumped off the low stage. "I'm Remus, I'm um– Regulus' friend." 

"Remus!" the boy's eyes lit up a little: "Reg has actually told me a lot about you." 

"He has?" Remus raised his brows in surprise. 

"No, I haven't", Regulus said from the staff door, cocking an eyebrow at the blonde boy: "Remus, this is Lachlan – Lachlan, Remus." 

"Nice to meet you", Remus smiled, reaching his arm forward. Lachlan shook it briskly, then glanced at Regulus. 

"You didn't tell me he's a drummer." 

"I didn't know", Regulus shrugged. Remus watched the two of them watching each other. "Lachlan works here, too", Regulus explained to him: "Only a month or so, you probably haven't seen him around before." 

"Moved here from down under", Lachlan grinned at Remus. Remus could tell, from his heavy accent and seemingly laid-back demeanour. He glanced at the stage, then at Remus. "Performing at the open-mic?" 

"That's the plan", Remus smiled: "With Sirius and–" 

"James", Lachlan nodded, glancing at Regulus, who had walked over to them. He seemed a little fidgety, Remus now noticed. "Yeah, Reg told me they were coming." 

"Oh", Remus nodded, narrowing his eyes at Regulus, who was looking slightly flushed. 

"Yeah, can't wait to meet them", Lachlan nodded, then slammed Regulus on the shoulder: "Where's Annie? I'm supposed to help her make an order or something." 

"In the back", Regulus mumbled, then glanced at Remus: "Stay until opening if you want, I have to get back to work." 

"Yeah, okay", Remus nodded: "Thanks." 

Lachlan grinned at him and strode out of the room. Regulus followed him into the staff room and Remus returned to the drums, swirling the sticks in his hand thoughtfully. He thought about the light blue koala sweater Regulus had been wearing earlier that day and the look he had shared with Lachlan. And Lachlan's Australian accent. But it wasn't Remus's place to intrude. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Open-mic at Grimmauld Pub! Remus and Sirius ought to be more careful. James and Regulus ought to be LESS careful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: alcohol

"Oh!" Remus gasped in surprise as one of the children stormed right towards him and clung onto his leg: "Hi, Lewis." 

"Remus! Come look at the car I drew!" 

"Remus! Come on, faster!" another hand grabbed his and started pulling him further into the room. Remus laughed and let the kids surround him as they chattered excitedly about their arts projects. He loved his job. 

"That is one lovely car, Lewis", he smiled as the boy showed him his drawing: "Are you sure that's not a picture?" 

"Remus! Look at this!" 

"Is it a cat?" 

"Yes!" 

"Very cute, good job." 

"Remus." 

Remus turned his head to see Minerva McGonagall standing behind the teacher's desk, a fond smile on her face. Remus smiled back and walked over to her. 

"You're popular", she smiled, glancing at the children around their desks. Remus laughed. 

"I think they just like me because I'm not the one giving them homework." 

"They really love you, Remus." 

"Oh", Remus felt himself blush slightly at the compliment. Minerva let out a light laugh, then pointed at the pile of papers on the desk. 

"Pass those around, will you? We've got math next." 

"Of course", Remus nodded, picked up the stack of papers and started to hand them out to the pupils. 

"Alright, pupils", Minerva started, and most of the kids stopped talking. Lewis was still babbling something to the girl sitting next to him, seemingly unbothered about the strict expression Minerva was giving him. Remus caught Lewis's gaze and held his finger up to his mouth to signal him to stop talking. Lewis immediately snapped his mouth shut and Minerva gave Remus an appreciative glance before continuing with the lesson. 

The rest of Friday afternoon went by in much the same manner: Remus helped the kids with their exercises, then got dragged outside on the breaks to play football or tag. At the end of the day he helped Minerva sort out the classroom, sat down in the teachers' common room for a cup of tea, and then cycled back home to enjoy the weekend. It was the open-mic event tonight, and his nerves were starting to build up. At least Sirius would be there to calm him down. 

He opened the front door to find Sirius splayed out on the sofa, still in his gym t-shirt and shorts. He looked away from the TV when Remus stepped into the room, and reached for the remote to turn it off completely. 

"Hey", Remus smiled and walked over to him. Sirius spread his arms wide and Remus climbed onto the sofa, inching himself to Sirius's side. 

"Hello", Sirius planted a kiss on the top of his head: "How was work?" 

"Good", Remus hummed contently. Sirius smelled so familiar he could have fallen asleep on the spot. 

"The kids?" 

"Sweet as always. Good day at the gym?" 

"Yeah, had three sessions and then worked at the reception the rest of the day", Sirius yawned, wrapping his arms tighter around Remus. "Do you want tea?" 

"No, I already had a cup at the school." 

"With all of your teacher friends", Sirius mused, petting Remus's hair gently. 

"Mm." 

" _Professor Lupin_." 

Remus laughed. "I work at a primary school, not a bloody university." 

"Still. I like the way it sounds." 

"Yeah", Remus smiled: "Me too." 

"How's Arthur? Heard his wife gave birth last night." 

"Mm, he wasn't at work today", Remus mumbled sleepily. Arthur Weasley was the headteacher of the school. Remus liked him – he liked all of his co-workers, really. They had welcomed him with open arms, even if he was at least twenty years younger than any of them. Probably one of the reasons the kids seemed to adore him – he must have seemed more approachable to them than the older staff members. 

"Do you wanna do something before we head to the pub?" Sirius was asking. Remus shifted a little, burying his head deeper in Sirius's neck. 

"Sleep." 

Sirius laughed. "Okay. We can do that." 

***

The pub was already in full swing when they got there a few hours later. Remus was shaking with nerves, and Sirius must have noticed, because he reached his hand to gently squeeze Remus's. 

"Is James already here?" Remus asked, craning his neck to look over the crowd of people. He wished he could keep holding Sirius's hand, but that wasn't an option. Not yet, at least. 

"No, he said he's running a little late at the bakery", Sirius raised his voice so that Remus could hear. It was _loud_. His eyes wandered to the bar and he frowned slightly. "Who's that?" he asked, nodding at Regulus and the boy working next to him. 

"That's Lachlan", Remus tried to sound negligent, though he couldn't help but notice the smile on both their faces: "Come on, let's go say hi." They pushed through the flock of drunk girls and made their way over to the bar, Remus first and Sirius following close behind. "Hey, Reg", Remus nodded: "Lachlan." 

"Oh, good, you're here", Regulus smiled back, then looked past them: "James?" 

"Coming soon", Sirius said, eyes on Lachlan. 

"Right", Regulus nodded and cleared his throat: "Lachlan, this is Sirius – my brother." 

"Of course", Lachlan smiled, reaching over the counter to shake Sirius' hand. "I'm Lachlan." 

"Nice to meet you", Sirius smiled, then nodded at the fridge behind them. "Can I have a water?" 

"Sure thing", Lachlan smiled, turning to get a bottle. "Anything for you, Remus?" 

"No thanks, we can share", Remus said without thinking. Lachlan didn't seem fazed, thank goodness. Sirius smirked and handed the bottle to Remus after taking a gulp. 

"I wrote your names on the performer list", Regulus nodded at the piece of paper on the counter and started refilling the ice container: "You're not up until later on." 

"Cool", Sirius nodded, then turned to Remus when both Lachlan and Regulus started serving other customers: " _Three times_." 

"That was hardly a bad thing", Remus defended himself: "I mean, _friends_ share drinks." 

"Yeah, I suppose", Sirius shrugged: "Still. We're slipping." 

"I know..." 

"Hey, look who's here", Sirius looked over Remus's shoulder and waved. Remus turned around to see James entering the pub, still in his work clothes. He looked flushed and was panting when he reached them. 

"Hey", he breathed: "Fucking crazy afternoon at the bakery, sorry I'm late." 

"No worries", Sirius slapped him on the shoulder, then turned to Regulus: "James is going to change in the bathroom, that okay?" 

"Oh, sure", Regulus looked up from where he was pouring a shot of Jägermeister for a customer. His eyes flicked to James and his flour-stained clothes. "Hey." 

"You can change in the back room", Lachlan said from his spot behind the counter, then reached to shake hands with James: "Hey, I'm Lachlan." 

"James", James took his hand and shook it briskly: "Are you sure? The bathroom's f–" 

"No, no", Lachlan shook his head: "Regulus will show you – Reg, show him to the back room, I'll be fine here." 

"Um", Regulus glanced at him, then back at James: "Sure." He nodded towards the staff door and James glanced helplessly at Sirius. 

"What?" Sirius frowned, gesturing at James's clothes: "You're not seriously going to play in _that_?" 

"Of course not", James showed him the bag flung over his shoulder: "I could have changed in the bathroom."

"Well, tough luck", Sirius muttered, pushing him in the direction of the door: "Go on, Reg is waiting." 

"Fine", James mumbled, then headed towards where Regulus was standing in front of the _STAFF ONLY_ -sign. 

"He's been acting weird lately", Sirius raised a brow. 

"Probably just work stress", Remus shrugged, then watched Regulus return to behind the counter. Lachlan grinned at him and Regulus gave him a playful shove. That just confirmed his suspicions. Sirius didn't seem to notice – he had found Annie and was now speaking to her over the bar. Remus stepped a little closer to participate in the conversation. 

"How many employees do you have, exactly?" Sirius was asking, his eyes flicking to Regulus.

Annie raised a brow. "Know someone who might be interested in a job?" 

"Oh, no", Sirius grinned at Remus: "Just wondering." 

"Oh, well we have Regulus and Lachlan, obviously. And Mary, but that's it for now – you heard about Bella, right?" 

"Right", Sirius nodded. Annie gave him a funny look before returning to work. Sirius turned to Remus, a contented smile on his face. "Do you think Mary is Regulus's type?" 

"Oh for fuck's sake", Remus laughed. He glanced back at Regulus and Lachlan, now on opposite ends of the bar: "I don't know – let it go, okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah", Sirius rolled his eyes. "Just curious." 

"There's a reason he won't tell you about it", Remus cocked his head. He didn't want to let Sirius in on his suspicions, simply because he wasn't even _sure_. And to be fair, even if he _was_ sure, it was none of their business. "Come on, I think I want a shot." 

"Oh?" Sirius raised his brows: "Thought you weren't drinking tonight." 

"Need some liquid courage", Remus pulled a face: "Come on." 

***

Regulus watched as James climbed onto the stage and pulled the strap over his head. He mumbled something to Sirius, who laughed, and then turned to nod at Remus behind the drums. It had been ages since Regulus had heard his brother and James play. Remus had been a surprise, but from what Regulus had heard of his practise, he wasn't bad at all. 

They were the last people on the list, and Regulus was glad about that one. Most of the performers were okay, but some of them were plain drunk and just screaming into the microphone. But Sirius, James and Remus were different. They sounded like a proper band, though Regulus could hardly focus on anything but the bass. Or rather, who was playing it. James looked like he was in his zone, his fingers moving on the strings like water. Lachlan caught him staring. 

"I don't blame you", he mumbled into Regulus's ear. Regulus flinched and scowled at him over his shoulder. 

"I'm just listening." 

"And watching." 

"Zip it, pretty boy", Regulus slapped Lachlan's ass with the towel he had hoisted over his shoulder. Everyone was too involved in the performance to notice, thankfully. 

"Well, that's my shift done", Lachlan glanced down at his watch: "Will you be okay if I go?" 

"I think I can manage", Regulus cocked an eyebrow. Lachlan winked at him. 

"Say hi to bass master for me, will you?" 

"You're unbearable." 

"Thanks. Bye." 

"Bye", Regulus said and watched him disappear into the back room, before turning back to watch the performance. The customers were swaying in time of the music, and Regulus leaned onto the counter to watch the rest of it. They played one more song and then exited the stage accompanied by drunken applause. The pub emptied a little after that, which Regulus was grateful for. At least rush hour was over, and he was hoping James would come and say hi. 

***

James flung the strap off his shoulder and placed the bass on its rack. He used a towel to sweep away the sweat on his face and then bumped fists with Remus and Sirius. He felt incredible, the adrenaline coursing in his veins. Sirius suggested they grab a cold beer, and so they jumped off the stage and walked over to the bar. Regulus was there, and he was alone. James's stomach flipped. 

Sirius ordered a beer for himself and Remus, and they headed outside to the terrace to get a little fresh air. James took the opportunity and hoisted himself onto one of the bar stools. Regulus smiled at him and turned his back to run a beer from the tap. Then, much James's surprise, he walked around the counter and over to him and pushed the pint closer to him. 

"You've deserved it", he said, and James could have died at the smirk he received. 

"Thanks", he laughed lightly, reaching in his pocket for his wallet. 

"No", Regulus reached his hand out and touched James's, guiding it away from his pocket: "It's on the house."

"Oh", James blinked, looking up: "T-thanks." Regulus smiled and then stopped when the song changed. 

" _Open sesame – we've places to go–_ " 

"Ah, I love Arctic Monkeys", he closed his eyes and smiled. James smiled at the sight of him smiling. Someone tapped at the counter impatiently, and Regulus whipped his head around: "Shit, I should get back." 

"Of course", James choked out, the image of Regulus smirking burnt on his retinas. He turned back to his beer and took a gulp. It was ice cold, but he still felt hot all over. Had Regulus been flirting, or was it just a friendly gesture? James shook his head. _No false hope_ , he reminded himself. 

He couldn't help but look back at Regulus, though, hustling around the bar and serving customers. He looked sinfully good in his black work t-shirt and black ripped jeans. James allowed himself to stare while the song played loudly in the background. " _Get the sense that you're on the move_ –" Regulus bent over and James watched the muscles on his back showing through his shirt. " _And you'll probably be leaving soon, so I'm telling you_ –" 

Regulus handed a pint to a customer over the counter and then turned his head around, and before James could react, their eyes met. James swallowed and held eye contact. Regulus didn't look away, either, and his grey eyes drilled through James. The sounds of the others were suddenly muffled, and all James could hear were the lyrics filling the crowded room. And more importantly, all he could see was Regulus. 

" _Stop the world cause I wanna–_ "

Regulus's eyes flicked down to his lips, and James's breath hitched. 

"– _get off with you_." 

Regulus glanced back up and stared at him. He licked his lips and didn't blink once. James stared back into his cool grey eyes and took a long swig of his beer, maintaining eye contact the whole time. He was aware of how hard he was gripping the pint. 

" _Stop the world cause I wanna_ –" Regulus glanced down to James's hand, then back up. "– _get off with you_." 

James saw Regulus swallow hard, his eyes wide, and then a new customer appeared at the counter and he had to turn back to the till. James looked down, fully aware of how hot his neck and cheeks felt. He downed the rest of his beer and walked outside into the brisk summer night. Arctic Monkeys played in his head as he pulled out his phone and called himself a cab. 

***

Regulus watched James storm out of the pub. _Fuck_. Fuck, fuck, _FUCK_. He should have known. Now he had scared him away. He fought the urge to run after James – Lachlan had already left and it was still too busy to leave Annie alone at the bar. 

"Hey", Sirius walked over, panting a little: "We're gonna head out, and James just texted he's getting a cab – thanks for the night. Honestly. And don't tell Remus I told you, but he enjoyed playing more than he will admit, so." 

"I should be thanking you, you were great", Regulus smiled and tried to hide the disappointment on his face. James was getting a cab back home and Regulus had really messed it all up. Try explaining that one to him. 'Yeah, I _meant_ it. Oh, you're not gay? No problem, have a nice one.' _Fuck_. He felt stupid. 

Remus joined them at the counter, pulling a jacket over his shoulders. "Ready?" he asked Sirius, who nodded and made to turn. 

"Hey", he suddenly glanced back at Regulus: "We're going bowling tomorrow, if you want to join? And you could bring a special someone..." He winked exaggeratedly. 

" _Or_ a friend", Remus quickly stepped in: "Lachlan, maybe?" He raised his brows at Regulus, who suddenly felt a lump in his throat. 

"Can't, sorry", he choked out: "Working." 

"Bummer", Sirius smiled apologetically: "Right, Rem, let's go." 

"Sure. Bye, Reg", he gave him a little wave and Regulus tried to smile back naturally. He watched them leave and then pulled out his phone, turning his back so that the customers couldn't see. He opened Lachlan and his Whatsapp thread and typed a quick message. 

**Regulus** : Going home for the night. See you at work

**Lachlan** : Bakery boy with you, then? 

**Regulus** : Ha ha. No

**Lachlan** : Shame. I was rooting for you

**Regulus** : You're weird. Night

**Lachlan** : Night x

Regulus sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He glanced at the clock on the wall behind him – one more hour before closing time. He yawned. A night in his own bed would do good for a change, he was sure. And he thought it wouldn't be fair for Lachlan if he went to his place just because he'd messed up the James thing. Though Lachlan probably wouldn't care. But still. 

The remainder of the night was quiet, and apart from a few extremely drunk 40-year-old women trying to flirt with him, it went by fairly pleasantly. He helped Annie clean the bar and do some dishes, and an hour after closing, he was finally out the door and heading back to his apartment. He almost regretted texting Lachlan now – he wouldn't mind the weight of another person sleeping next to him. But Lachlan was no doubt already sleeping, and Regulus ought to stop going to him every time he felt like it. They weren't exclusive and Lachlan seemed determined to keep it that way. 

He searched for his keys in the pocket of his jeans, then opened the door and walked straight into the bedroom. He managed to take off his clothes and plug his phone in before crashing straight into sleep. 

***

**Sirius** : Bring me lunch, will you? 

**Remus** : I do not understand you

**Sirius** : Lunch, as in the meal...? 

**Remus** : Oh, thanks. I mean _I do not understand_ how the fuck you get up after a night out and head straight to the gym

**Sirius** : It's called having work. Not all of us are lucky enough to have those teacher working hours. Lunch? 

**Remus** : Okie, be there in twenty

**Sirius** : You're the best <3

Remus yawned and dragged himself out of bed. He wholeheartedly regretted drinking last night, but at least he didn't have anywhere to be. Well, except the gym, but he got to see sweaty Sirius, so it was fine. He got dressed and downed a cup of coffee before heading out of the door and stopping by at a coffee shop to buy himself and Sirius tuna sandwiches – their hangover go-to if they were too lazy to cook anything. He reached the gym and stepped in to be greeted by a sunny Marlene. 

"Hey there!" she called out: "Finally getting a membership?" 

Remus grinned and showed her the paper bag he was carrying. "Brought Sirius some lunch", he nodded at the staff door: "Mind if I go in?" 

"Oh, help yourself", she nodded: "It's better if I don't have to interact with hungry Sirius today." 

Remus laughed and walked past her into the staff room, where Sirius was sitting on his laptop, gym clothes on and hair on a messy bun. He grinned when he saw Remus enter. 

"My saviour", he spread his arms wide and let out a happy sound when Remus pulled out the two tuna sandwiches and a bottle of soda water. 

"Thought I'd eat with you", Remus said and sat down opposite to him on the gym ball that Marlene used as a chair: "How's your head holding up?" 

" _I'm_ not hungover", he smirked: "But you on the other hand... you didn't even nudge when my alarm rang." 

"Shut up", Remus mumbled through a mouthful of tuna and bread. 

"Well, it's your fault", Sirius continued with a smile: "Shouldn't have drunk that much." 

"I didn't even drink a lot!" Remus exclaimed, gesturing with his hands. Sirius snorted and bit into his own sandwich. 

"Mm, this is heaven." 

"Had a busy morning?" Remus changed the subject, nudging Sirius's foot with the toe of his sneaker. 

Sirius shrugged and swallowed the bite he had just taken before answering: "Not too busy, had two PT sessions and still got one more to go, plus all this paperwork." He nodded at his laptop in front of him. Remus nodded and reached for the soda water. 

"You know", he said after a few moments of silence as they both finished their lunch: "Marlene keeps joking about me getting a gym membership, but I think I _actually_ might get one." 

"Oh yeah?" Sirius reached for the bottle and took a gulp before handing it back to Remus. 

"Yeah", Remus nodded: "I mean, it wouldn't hurt for me to be in better shape–" 

"As if you're not in good shape already." 

"–and well, I may need a personal trainer to get me started", he raised his brows slyly. Sirius nodded solemnly. 

"Marlene is a great PT, I'm sure she'll be glad to train you." 

Remus snorted and gave him a little kick in the shin. "Yeah, that's exactly what I meant", he rolled his eyes. Sirius gave him a smile and edged a little closer with his chair. 

"I'd love to have you around here more often", he said with a tilted head and reached over to place his hands on Remus's knees: "And honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing you working your ass off in a tank top and some shorts." He wiggled his brows, making Remus laugh. 

"Okay", Remus smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss: "I'll talk to Marlene before I head out, if you have that session now?" 

"Yes", Sirius said and slammed his hands onto his knees, hoisting himself up: "Thanks for lunch, I owe you." 

"You know you don't owe me anything", Remus said and got up, too. He threw the trash into the bin and followed Sirius out of the staff room. "See you back home." 

"Yeah, see you", Sirius flashed him a smile that Remus knew would have been a kiss if they had been alone, before striding over to the other end of the gym to set something up for his session. Remus walked back towards the door and stopped at the reception desk, where Marlene gave him an expectant look. 

Remus flashed her a grin. "So, that membership?" 

***

It was around eight in the evening when James pulled up at the bowling centre. He hoped with his whole existence that Regulus wasn't going to be there tonight, not after James had ran out of the pub last night like a bloody coward. He knew if he ever wanted anything to happen, he ought to talk to him, but that just seemed way too terrifying. Still, he hadn't managed to get the fucking song out of his head the whole day. It had even intruded his dream, and he had woken up covered in sweat and rock hard. Just one more reason why he was dreading seeing Regulus. 

Lily, Peter and Dorcas were already there when he arrived, and Remus and Sirius walked in shortly after him. They got themselves two lanes and divided into two teams: Lily and Peter joined him, while Dorcas teamed up with Remus and Sirius. Regulus wasn't there, thank goodness, and Sirius said that he was at work again. James would have felt sorry for him if he wasn't so relieved. 

They ended up winning, much to the dismay of Sirius, who was the most competitive person in the world, and Dorcas, who came as a close second in that. They demanded another round, and James went to buy them all pints while Lily paid for another hour of bowling. He saw Peter and Dorcas head outside, probably for a quick smoke, and Lily told him she'd run to the bathroom before the second round. James picked up the tray and walked back to the lanes, where Sirius and Remus were sitting side to side on the red leather sofa. 

"–when you're competitive..." Remus was saying as James came to within hearing distance. He cleared his throat and Remus whipped his head around, inching slightly further away from Sirius. "James! Cheers", he smiled and grabbed himself a pint: "Gosh, I'm so thirsty." 

Sirius nearly choked on his own beer, and James shot him a funny look. "Are you good?" he asked, slamming Sirius on the back as he coughed vigorously. 

"Perfect", Sirius managed to choke out, before taking another gulp and wincing: "Got down the wrong pipe." 

Lily returned soon, Peter and Dorcas in tow, and the begun their second round. The other team won by a few points, which meant that it was now Lily and Pete's turn to act frustrated. James glanced at Remus and they grinned at each other knowingly. They were just happy to have had a good time, no matter whether they'd won or lost. Sirius smiled smugly as he listened to Pete making excuses about why his last shot had gone so badly. Remus was laughing at them and Lily inched closer to Dorcas to start a conversation about something to do with movies. James sat back and sipped on his beer, content to just be around his friends. His phone beeped in his pocket, and he pulled it out and nearly spat out his drink. 

'How's bowling?' Regulus's text read. James glanced around and set his beer on the table to reply. 

**James** : Fun. Currently listening to Pete and Sirius arguing about who did better

**Regulus** : Typical. Wish I could've come, quiet night at the pub. Boring

James bit his lip as he thought of a reply. 'Wish you could have come, too' sounded a bit too eager. He opted for a bit more of a vague response. 

**James** : Maybe next time

**Regulus** : Right. Maybe

James was just starting to write his response when there was another message from Regulus. 

**Regulus** : Have to get back, Lachlan's breathing down my neck

_Lachlan._

**James** : Tell him I said hi. Try to survive

Regulus left the conversation there, which James thought was probably a good thing, if he wanted to _forget about the whole bloody thing_. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and turned to listen to the still ongoing argument between Sirius and Peter, who were now suggesting a third game to solve it for good. Thankfully Lily put a stop to that line of thinking, and judging by the look on Remus's face, he completely agreed with her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently obsessed with Arctic Monkeys, in case you couldn't tell. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie's birthday...

"I can't fucking do this", Remus said with a strained voice as he pushed the bar up onto the rack. Sirius was standing over him, an affectionate grin on his face. Remus blew a strand of hair out of his face and sat up. "Should have taken Marlene, after all." 

"Pfft, she would have made you work twice as hard", Sirius replied: "Okay, one more set before cool-down." 

"Can't believe I'm doing this", Remus huffed and lay back down. 

"You're killing it", Sirius said cheerfully and adjusted his stance to spot for Remus as he did his last five reps. Sirius's bare arms hovering over him made it a little hard to focus.

"Boom, and you're done", Sirius clapped him on the shoulder as he sat up, and jerked his head towards the mattresses at the other corner of the gym: "Just a few cool-down exercises and you're done with your first workout." 

"Okay, _coach_ ", Remus smiled slyly and stood up. He was sweaty all over, but enjoying it more than he would have imagined. Having Sirius as his PT made it all the better, especially since his hands seemed to stay on Remus's skin longer than was probably normal whenever he adjusted Remus's form. It was both sweet and extremely tormenting, given that they were in a gym filled with dozens of people. 

"Stop trying to seduce me while I'm at work", Sirius smirked, but licked his lips as he eyed Remus. "Although you do look sinfully good in those shorts." 

"Okay, you better zip it before somebody hears and thinks you're a creep", Remus laughed: "What's next?" 

"I want three sets of eight chin-ups and eight push-ups, then we'll do some stretching", Sirius pointed at the chin-up bar on the wall.

Remus nodded and got to work, only to hear James walk up to them as he was finishing his last set of chin-ups. 

"Having fun up there, Remus?" he said cheerfully. 

"Lovely", Remus managed to choke out before releasing his grip and jumping down. He moved on to the push-ups and spoke at the same time, which turned out to be a mistake: "What's up– _ugh_ – ready for tonight?" 

"Yeah, just going to go and bake the cake after my workout", James nodded as he leaned casually onto the wall. 

Remus did his last rep and jumped up, receiving a high five from Sirius. 

"Sounds great", Sirius smiled: "Reg will love it. I asked Mary and Dorcas to pop by, too. Oh, and Remus invited Lachlan, so he's coming as well." 

"Oh, is he?" James replied dryly, then cleared his throat: "So it's going to be a proper party then, or?" 

"Well, not really", Sirius said and glanced at Remus, who gave him a stern look that indicated that he better stick to the plan. "All of us probably have work tomorrow, so nothing crazy, but we're going to surprise him at ours." 

"Yeah, brilliant. Anyway, I better get going – leg day." 

"Of course", Sirius nodded gravely: "Best of luck." 

"Thank you, sir", James bowed, adjusted his gym bag on his shoulder and headed for the changing rooms.

Remus turned to give Sirius a pleading smile. 

"Can't we do stretching at home?"

Sirius snorted. "I mean..." he bit his lip, eyes scanning Remus from head to toe: "What kind of personal trainer would I be if I said no to stretching?" 

***

"Oh-kay", Sirius breathed when Remus pushed him against the door the second they entered the apartment. He loved when Remus got like this. 

"Mmh", Remus mumbled into his mouth impatiently as he pushed Sirius's thighs apart with his knee. Sirius let his head fall back and let out a breathy laugh. 

"If I had known you're like this after a workout, I would have forced you there sooner–" 

"Shut up", Remus breathed as he pulled Sirius with him and into his bedroom. Sirius had to obey. 

Remus was kissing every inch of Sirius's lips and neck, and Sirius had no choice but to fall back on the bed and let Remus climb over him. Their mouths met again, pressing together eagerly, and Remus's hands found the waistband of Sirius's sweatpants. 

" _God_ ", he breathed as he brushed his hand over Sirius's erection. 

"You're hot when you're like this", Sirius managed, and smirked when Remus laughed. 

"You were driving me crazy out there", he mumbled, leaning down to place another kiss on Sirius's lips: "I swear your so-called _assists_ were no help." 

Sirius laughed in response. 

"You were killing me, too", he cocked an eyebrow and glanced down at where Remus's hips were dangerously close to his: "Really, those shorts..." 

"Take them off, then", Remus said daringly and bit his lip: "If they're bothering you so much."

Sirius obeyed immediately, reaching down to pull Remus's shorts and boxers down over his hips. He groaned at the sight of Remus already completely hard. 

" _Fuck_..." 

Remus kicked his shorts off and removed his shirt before pulling Sirius's tank top off of him and throwing it on the floor, followed by his sweatpants and boxers. Sirius lay back and enjoyed the view. Remus was absolutely gorgeous. 

He climbed back onto Sirius and smiled at him. 

"Been wanting to do this for the past two hours." 

"Me too–" 

Remus rocked their hips together, which made Sirius groan louder than he had meant to. Remus responded by starting to kiss down his neck, stopping at his Adam's apple, then continuing down to his hip bone, where he bit at Sirius's skin teasingly. 

He glanced up to smirk at Sirius, and Sirius let his head fall back at the sight. 

"You're honestly so– _Ah_ ", he twitched up when Remus took him into his mouth and pressed his free hand onto Sirius's thigh. 

Sirius hoisted himself up onto his elbows to watch, until Remus picked up his pace and Sirius could no longer keep his eyes open. He let his head fall back again and fiddled his hand into Remus's hair. 

These were his favourite type of afternoons, and he really had been dying at the sight of Remus's muscles flexing and the sound of him breathing heavily during his workout. And there had been nothing Sirius could do about it, not until they were alone. Not until now. 

" _Remus_... fuck, don't stop–" 

Remus kept going until Sirius's hips jerked up uncontrollably and he groaned as he came. He felt lightheaded as Remus's fingers kept drawing small circles onto his thigh. Sirius kept his eyes closed and tried to compose himself. 

Remus waited until Sirius's breathing steadied before he clung himself up onto his knees and started stroking himself slowly, eyes fixed on Sirius's. Sirius stared in awe. 

"No", he breathed, quickly hoisting himself up: "Let me." 

He grabbed Remus by the shoulders and guided him onto his back before rubbing his hands down his sides and thighs. Remus was still sweaty and his cheeks were a faded red from the workout. 

"Please be quick", Remus smiled slyly: "I can't take it anymore." 

He let out a deep sigh and his eyes fell shut, and Sirius took that as his cue to go further. He kissed around Remus's stomach and thighs, then moved to his cock before taking it into his mouth and starting at a slow pace. He sped up when Remus started panting harder and his hands found Sirius's hair. 

"God, Remus..." Sirius mumbled at the sounds Remus was giving him. They were making him feel like he could go again. 

Remus tried to say something, but his breath hitched and he grasped Sirius's hair tighter. 

"Fuck, I'm going to..." 

Sirius could feel him getting close and went even faster.

Remus groaned loudly – Sirius loved that sound – as he came into Sirius's mouth. His hand stayed still in Sirius's hair until his body was finally completely relaxed.

He was panting, and all Sirius could think of was Remus in the gym just less than an hour ago, letting out sinfully hot sounds and groans. Sirius had had to fight to keep his hands to himself. 

He pulled away and lay himself on Remus's chest, whispering quietly into his ear as Remus regained his composure. His eyes were still closed and his chest kept rising and falling with each breath. 

"How's that for stretching?" he managed with a lazy grin. Sirius smiled. 

"Not what I usually instruct my clients to do, but seems to be effective", he cocked an eyebrow and Remus laughed. 

"Well, I sure hope that's only part of _my_ training programme", he reached his hand into Sirius's hair again and stroked it gently. 

"For sure", Sirius nodded before laying his head down on Remus's bare chest. 

He closed his eyes. They had absolutely nowhere to be for hours, and Sirius couldn't have been happier about it. 

***

"James! Check the oven, will you?" 

"Yes, Mom!" 

James bent over to look at the double chocolate chip cookies sitting in the oven. He straightened back up and continued decorating the cake. 

"Not yet", he called out, and his mother made a noise of acknowledgement. James smiled. Some may call it lame, but working with his parents at their bakery was the best thing he knew. And it would be his business, one day. That made him happy. 

"How's Remus doing, darling?" Euphemia Potter asked over the cake batter she was mixing. "I haven't seen him around in ages!" 

"He's good, I think", James nodded: "Just saw him today, actually – he started at the gym, too." 

"Oh, lovely!" Euphemia smiled: "And speaking of the gym, how's Sirius? Busy running a business?" 

"Yeah, guess so. I mean, he loves it, so he never complains. I'm pretty sure he's got some never ending source of energy inside of him." 

Euphemia laughed at that. "That's how he has always been, ever since you were little... you should bring him over for dinner some day, I miss that boy... And how is Regulus?" 

"Still at the pub." 

"Mm. He used to come here all the time with that girl... what was her name again?" 

"Can't remember." 

"Hm. She was nice, from what I remember... And Lily?" 

"Bloody hell, Mom", James laughed, glancing up at her: "If I had known you're here to interrogate me–" 

"I'm just wondering!" Euphemia pointed her spatula at him: "You never bring them around anymore! How am I supposed to keep up?" 

"Right, right", James huffed a laugh: "Well, we're not fifteen anymore, we all have jobs... and Lily's great, I think she's going to be there tonight." 

"That's nice. Does she still work at that restaurant?" 

"No, actually", James smiled fondly: "She quit after her manager made some racist comment towards a customer." 

"Oh, that's horrible", Euphemia tutted: "Well, good for her – I wouldn't work at a place like that, either. And she's a smart girl, anyone will want to hire her." 

"Yeah", James nodded. He had no doubt about it. 

"And is that everyone?" 

"Huh?" James glanced up, frowning. 

"Is that everyone?" Euphemia repeated, a sly smile on her face: "Or is there someone else I should know about...?" 

"Mom", James sighed and let his head fall back. 

"What?" she laughed, giving him a little nudge with her shoulder: "I'm just saying, you have been pretty quiet about the subject for months now... years, even!" 

"Well, forgive me for not wanting to share _everything_ with my mother", James cocked an eyebrow. 

"Of course", Euphemia sent him a fond smile: "But does that mean that you have someone or–?" 

James groaned. "No, Mom. I don't. Honest." 

"Alright, alright. I'll stop asking." 

"Don't", James leaned over and pressed a kiss on her cheek: "I love that you care." 

"Of course I do. And James, whoever you find – eventually, no rush – will be lucky", she smiled sweetly.

James smiled back and tried to take his mind off Regulus. 

***

It was eight in the evening when James finally knocked on the door of Sirius and Remus's apartment, a present in one hand and a cake box in the other. He could already hear music coming from inside the flat, and he was fairly sure it was going to turn into a party, despite what Sirius had said. 

His suspicions were confirmed when Sirius came to open the door, a drunken grin on his face. James laughed at his expression and cocked an eyebrow. 

"You started early." 

"What, me?" Sirius grinned: "You should see Peter." 

"I don't know if I want to", James huffed a laugh: "Is Reg already here?" 

"Yup, arrived like five minutes ago. Said he's not drinking tonight, a bloody angel, that one. Come say hi to everyone, we were all waiting for you." 

James gave him a smile and stepped inside, kicking off his shoes. He was greeted by a choir of hellos when he stepped into the living room. He couldn't see Regulus, though, and Lily must have noticed him looking for him, because she jerked her head to the side and mouthed: "In the kitchen." 

James nodded gratefully and after accepting a drunken embrace from Peter, stepped into the kitchen with the cake and the present still in his hands.

Regulus was standing there, leaning onto the counter, and beside him stood Lachlan. They were laughing at something and both looked up as James entered the room. 

"James!" Lachlan grinned: "Great to see you again." He then turned to Regulus and said: "I'll let you two catch up." 

He patted James on the shoulder as he scurried past him and into the living room. Regulus straightened up a little, eyes fixed on James. James gave him an awkward smile and handed the cake box towards him. 

"Happy birthday", he nodded at the box: "Sirius asked me to bake you a cake, so... and here, I got you a present, too." He handed the other, poorly-wrapped package to Regulus, who blinked in surprise. 

"Oh– wow, thank you", he laughed lightly. He placed the boxes on the counter and pulled James into a short, awkward hug. James could feel the blush creeping up his neck.

"You didn't have to", Regulus gave him a soft smile. 

"I wanted to, honestly", James let out a nervous laugh: "It's your birthday." 

"Yeah, well don't expect me to bake _you_ a cake on your birthday", Regulus smirked: "I'm bloody awful in the kitchen." 

"Don't worry", James laughed. 

Regulus nodded at the fridge. "Want a beer?" 

"Oh, I'm not drinking tonight", James shook his head quickly. He had just decided that five minutes ago. 

"Yeah, me neither", Regulus nodded. _Ha_. 

There was a beat of awkward silence, during which Regulus glanced at the cake through the plastic window on the box.

"It looks beautiful." 

"Thanks", James managed to say just as Sirius strode into the kitchen, a frustrated-looking Remus right behind him. 

"Cake time!" Sirius announced happily and went to look for plates in the cupboard. Remus rolled his eyes and sighed. 

"I remember having a conversation with him about not drinking tonight", he mumbled to James and Regulus: "But then Pete and Mary got drunk and he just couldn't resist it. Sorry, Reg, this was supposed to be a quiet night." 

"It's fine", Regulus waved his hand, smiling: "Honestly, I'm glad he's having fun. And–" 

"Cake for the birthday boy!" Sirius pushed a spoon into Regulus's mouth, forcing him to shut up. Regulus shoved his hand away, but smiled as he swallowed the cake. 

Sirius then took Remus by the sleeve and pulled him towards the cake, and Remus obeyed after another amused eye roll. Regulus watched them go and then turned back to smile at James. 

"Delicious", he winked, but James had no time to react before they were interrupted again, this time by Lachlan. 

"Regulus wasn't lying when he told me about your baking skills", he mumbled into James's ear as he happily chewed on a piece of cake. Regulus gave him a deadly stare, which Lachlan ignored. "Your parents own the bakery, right?" 

"Yeah", James nodded, raising his brows at Regulus before turning to smile at Lachlan. "And thanks, glad to hear it's good – one of Mom's secret recipes." 

"Tell her she's a wizard", Lachlan shook his head in awe, guiding another spoonful into his mouth and making a contented sound. 

"Yeah, I will", James laughed. 

"Can we talk?" Regulus gave Lachlan a tight smile before grabbing him by the sleeve and pulling him out of the room. James watched them disappear into the hallway before turning to look at Remus and Sirius on the other side of the kitchen. 

Sirius looked completely out of it, but Remus was looking in the direction Regulus and Lachlan had gone. His eyes caught James's and he gave a smile, lifting up the plate he was holding. 

"This is great", he smiled, pointing at the cake with his spoon. 

"Thanks", James smiled absently, glancing out of the doorway again. He turned back around when Remus tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Are you okay?" he frowned, eyes flicking towards the door. James nodded quickly. 

"Yeah, I'm fine!" 

"Okay... what was that all about? Lachlan and Reg?" 

"Yeah, no idea..." James shrugged. 

Remus nodded slowly before turning to Sirius, who was leaning heavily onto the kitchen counter. 

"You're the worst", Remus groaned as he grabbed Sirius's sides and supported him up: "Come on, into the living room." 

Sirius reached for his plateful of cake and happily let Remus guide him out of the kitchen and into the living room, where the rest of the party was sitting – apart from Regulus and Lachlan, who must have still been in the hallway. 

James took a seat next to Lily and Dorcas, who were laughing at something. Lily welcomed him with a hug and leaned her head onto his shoulder as he settled onto the couch. 

"How's my favourite person doing?" James yawned as he pressed his eyes shut. 

"I thought that was Sirius", Lily raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, that's what I tell _him_ ", James smirked. Lily let out a laugh and shook his head. 

"I'm alright. Looking at a bunch of want ads." 

"Right. You'll find something", James said reassuringly. "Mom was asking about you today." 

"Oh, she was?" Lily smiled fondly: "I miss her." 

"She misses you too. You should stop by at the bakery some time." 

"Definitely – hey, Remus, do you guys have Twister? Dorcas is apparently a professional." 

"Oh, are you?" Remus cocked an amused eyebrow from the other side of the room, where he was standing next to Sirius: "I think we do. Pretty sure it's in my bedroom, just a sec..." 

James watched him disappear out of the living room before shutting his eyes again. Lily started humming a soft melody, and James fought the urge to go and find Regulus. 

***

"I'm just being friendly!" 

"Yeah, a little _too_ friendly!" 

"What do you mean?" 

Regulus dropped his head back and groaned. Bloody Australians, always so cheerful. 

"I just mean that you're being really fucking obvious." 

"About–?" 

" _James_." 

"What about James?" Lachlan raised his brows, smirking. 

"Don't make me say it." 

"I won't." 

"Good." 

"Great." 

"Just don't be so... friendly. Fuck, I don't know." 

"Are you jealous, Reggie?" Lachlan made a mock sad face, reaching forward to take Regulus's hands into his own. 

"Jealous?" 

"That James and I get along so well–" 

"Shut up", Regulus groaned. Lachlan laughed. 

"I'm joking, you know I am", he tilted his head: "But seriously, the way you look at him... you're the one being really fucking obvious." 

Regulus winced. That was probably true. But then, the others knew nothing about him being gay, so maybe they didn't see it like Lachlan did. It was hard to hide things from Lachlan. 

"You're in love." 

"No I'm not!" Regulus huffed: "Jesus, I find him _attractive_ –"

"Yeah, yeah, he is attractive", Lachlan shook his head: "But they way you look at him–" 

Regulus leaned forward and kissed Lachlan. Lachlan kissed him back immediately, no hesitation. And then he was quiet. It was just so easy with him, _so so so_ _easy_... 

"You ought to stop doing that", Lachlan smiled. "If you want to win him over." 

"Yeah, we've had this conversation before." 

"And you're still with _me_." 

"I like you." 

"I like you too." 

"So what's the problem?" Regulus cocked his head to the side. He knew what the problem was – it was standing in the other room, probably having a conversation with Peter or Lily or playing a card game with Remus. 

"You're really stubborn, you know?" Lachlan laughed, shaking his head. He leaned down again and kissed Regulus, lacing their fingers together. 

Regulus leaned into the kiss and let himself forget about the problem for a moment. _James the Problem_. The most beautiful problem, and at the same time the hardest one to solve. 

Lachlan pressed into him a little harder, and Regulus let him. He felt so stupid for not loving Lachlan the way he was supposed to. He probably would have loved him, had the situation been different. Lachlan was very lovable and charming, and Regulus was horrible for dragging him along. But Lachlan _knew_ he was being dragged along, and he accepted it, and Regulus just found it too hard to let go. So he didn't. 

"This is a bit too incautious", Regulus mumbled into Lachlan's mouth. 

"I know", Lachlan smiled into the kiss: "Just a teaser for your birthday present..." 

Regulus laughed. 

" _Shit, sorry_ –" 

Lachlan pulled away before Regulus could fully even register what was happening. And when he did, his whole world flipped. 

Remus was standing there in the doorway, and Lachlan's hands were still in Regulus's. 


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh shit..." Remus blinked, his eyes darting to Lachlan and Regulus's intertwined hands. Regulus jerked his away and stared back in panic. 

The three of them just stood there in the crammed hallway, staring at each other. Remus knew he ought to say something – besides, hadn't he known about Regulus and Lachlan? Or at least suspected something? It just felt weird to actually see it happening. 

"So are you–?" he started, eyes flicking from Regulus to Lachlan and back. 

"Remus, you can't tell anyone", Regulus said hoarsely. His eyes were wide with panic. 

"No, of course I won't!" Remus hurried to say. Regulus buried his face in his hands. 

"Fuck", he groaned, rubbing over his eyes. Remus tried to catch Lachlan's eyes, but he was looking down at his feet. It dawned on Remus. Lachlan probably hadn't told anyone, either.

"Look, I should go", Remus nodded in the direction of the living room: "I'm, uh– sorry. Shit, honestly... but– fuck, are you both okay?" 

Lachlan nodded and glanced at Regulus, who was now leaning onto the shoe rack against the wall. He nodded too, and Remus wished he knew what to say. 

"I'll let you two talk", he opted for in the end, and then he left the hallway. He was still clutching tight onto the Twister box. Lily was up in an instant when he walked into the living room. 

"Took you ages!" she grinned, grabbing the game from him. Remus sent her a faint smile and went to sit next to Peter. 

Dorcas, Mary, Lily and Sirius started a loud game of Twister, and Remus settled on watching while he listened to Peter talk about their upcoming match. Remus was only half listening, given that mind was in a completely different place. For something that he had been fairly sure about, it hit him in the face like a brick. 

James joined in on the conversation after a while, until Regulus walked into the room and caught their attention. 

"Where were you?" Mary asked brightly from her less-than-convenient position on the mat. 

"Said bye to Lachlan", Regulus mumbled as he took a seat on the armchair. He avoided looking in the mere direction of Remus, which he thought was understandable. 

"He left?" Lily looked up from her downward dog, a slight frown on her face. Regulus just shrugged. 

"Shame", Mary smiled softly, but the matter was forgotten about soon as they continued the game. Sirius failed first, which was no surprise given the state he was in. He went to grab another slice of cake ("Really, James, it's incredible!") and Remus took the opportunity to nudge Regulus with his toe to grab his attention. 

Regulus glanced up from his hands and immediately looked back down. He gave a slight shake of his head and Remus decided not to push it any further. Instead, he turned back to watch the match between Lily and Dorcas, who were laughing as they tried to keep themselves off the ground. Dorcas ended up winning, living up to the expectation, and Lily settled on second place. 

"I don't know about you", she said, panting a little, "but I could do with a slice of that cake now!" 

Dorcas and Mary voiced their agreement and they scurried into the kitchen, leaving the boys to sit in the living room. The music was still playing loudly in the background, and James and Peter were enthusiastically talking about game strategy for their next match. Remus tried to keep himself occupied with the drink in his hand. 

"I think I might go, too", Regulus said and pressed his hands onto the armrests to hoist himself up. James jerked his head up and frowned. 

"Already?" Sirius asked. Peter cast an irritated glance at Regulus, who had apparently interrupted football talk. 

"Yeah, I'm not... feeling well." 

"Oh", James nodded: "Um, take some of the cake with you if you want." 

"Sure, thanks", Regulus gave a tight smile and headed into the kitchen. He poked his head through the doorway a minute later and gave a little wave to indicate that he was leaving. 

"Well, if that's how he wants to spend his birthday", Sirius cocked an eyebrow as they heard the door slam shut. Remus just shrugged in response. He didn't dare make a comment about it. 

***

Regulus pushed the key into the lock with a shaky hand. The door handle felt cold as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He threw the Tupperware box onto the dresser, along with the still unopened present James had given him. He let his back fall against the door and closed his eyes, running through the events of the night in his head. 

Okay, Remus knew. 

Fuck, Remus knew. 

Regulus banged the back of his head against the wooden door. He felt empty. It was out there now, against his will, but there was nothing he could do about it. 

Remus knew. 

He wouldn't tell anyone, Regulus was sure. Remus was sensible like that. He wouldn't just go and shout it out loud, especially since he _knew_ what it felt like. 

Regulus dropped his chin to his chest and took a deep breath, straightening up. There were a few cards on the doormat, he now noticed. He bent to pick them up and flicked through them: one from Mrs Figg, his next door neighbour, one from Annie – she was old-fashioned like that – and one from Uncle Alphard. 

That made Regulus smile. Alphard had started sending Sirius and him cards for every occasion after their parents had died. Christmas, birthdays, New Years, even stupid days like May Day. It was silly, but Regulus appreciated it. 

He stepped out of his shoes and walked into the kitchen, where he set the cards onto the small kitchen island. Being twenty-three sucked. 

There were three missed calls from Lachlan and one from Annie – probably to say happy birthday and ask him to do an extra shift over the weekend. He'd call her back tomorrow. And as for Lachlan's calls, he knew what they were about. They could wait, too. 

He crashed down on the sofa. He didn't own a TV, which he now regretted, because it was awfully quiet. He felt a little numb. For so long he had tried to hide it – only Lachlan knew – and then in a matter of seconds, that had been taken away from him. And who was to blame? No one. Maybe Regulus himself. He's the one who had kissed Lachlan in Sirius's hallway. Fucking _stupid_. Everything would be fine now if that hadn't happened. 

His phone rang again. It was Lachlan, no doubt, and for that reason Regulus ignored it. 

He jumped up from the couch suddenly, and went to fetch the present James had given him from the hallway. The wrapping was adorably bad, but Regulus hadn't expected anything else from James. Hell, he hadn't expected James to even get him anything. He hated receiving presents. 

It was a flask, shiny silver with an engraved leaf pattern and... surprisingly nice. Not something you'd think _James Potter_ of all people would think to get as a present. Usually his presents included some sort of pointless gadget, maybe a pair of weird colourful socks or the most hideous shirt you've ever seen. Not a fancy flask. Regulus set it down on the coffee table and smiled. He'd have to thank James for that again. 

The present didn't offer a distraction for long, though, and Regulus soon found himself thinking about the Lachlan thing again. Or the Remus thing. Or whatever it was that had happened. 

Was he supposed to feel bad? Frightened? Angry? Relieved? _Happy_? One of those things, surely. But instead he felt nothing, which was immensely worse. 

Maybe because it was Remus who had found out, Remus who understood and who Regulus knew would never judge him. But still... Remus hadn't seemed too fazed. Like he had already known... _Holy shit_. 

Regulus grabbed his phone fast and found Remus's number from his contacts. This was weird. He'd never called Remus before, apart from that time he'd found Sirius drunk from a bar and brought him to his flat instead of carrying him home. 

"Regulus?" Remus answered after the second ring. Regulus could hear the background noise getting quieter; Remus must have gone into a different room. 

"Hey." 

"Hey. Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I think so." 

"Okay, good. Um– good." 

"Remus?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Did you know?" 

"Huh? Oh..." 

Regulus let his head fall back against the couch and winced. 

"I... had my suspicions." 

_Uh oh_. Did that mean literally anyone else could know, too? 

"Reg?" 

"Yeah, I'm here." 

"Okay. I– um, I know it's none of my business–" 

"I called you." 

"–but to me it was kind of obvious, I guess? But I doubt anyone else has caught onto it yet." 

"How?" Regulus choked out. He rubbed a hand over his face. He still didn't know how to feel. 

"Well, I don't know..." Remus hesitated for a second, then: "The sweater. The secrecy, being at work all the time and still being able to maintain a proper relationship, and... well, I guess I just saw it in the way you and Lachlan are around each other." 

Regulus was quiet. _Was_ he different around Lachlan? Was it that obvious? 

"It's the way you interact with him, how he talks about you and how you look at him. I um– sorry. Sounds a bit creepy when I say it like that, doesn't it?" Remus laughed nervously. 

Regulus dropped his head to the side and pressed his eyes shut, rubbing his temples with one hand, the other one clutching the phone tightly. 

"You're like that with Sirius, though", he finally said: "How come you figured me and Lachlan out when you're the exact same with him?" 

"Am I?" Remus replied. 

"I mean, I think so. You've always been close." 

"Yeah, but we're um– well, we've been friends ever since we were kids. I suppose it's different, you've only known Lachlan for a couple of months, I guess that's what gave it out." 

"Yeah... yeah, probably. But you actually reckon that no one else has noticed? Sirius or–?" 

_James_. 

"No, I honestly don't think they have", Remus said reassuringly: "And Reg?" 

"Mm?" 

"It can be terrifying – I would know – and I know this is not how you wanted anyone to find out– gosh, I'm honestly so sorry... but it gets better, I swear. And just because I know now, doesn't mean that you have to tell Sirius right away, or anyone else for that matter. Not that he wouldn't understand – he would, a hundred percent, I mean just think how well he took it when _I_ came out... but–" 

"Remus." 

"Sorry." 

"No, honestly... thank you", Regulus sighed. "But I think I need to go to bed. Like, right now. I'm dead on my feet." 

"Oh, of course", Remus said quickly: "Yeah, for sure... but I mean it. When you're ready, he'll be there to listen. We all will." 

Regulus smiled. He knew that was true. 

"Thanks." 

"Not at all. Night." 

"Night." 

Regulus shut his phone and threw it to the other end of the couch. So, Remus knew. That didn't mean that he wanted anyone else to know yet. But Remus knew, and that was okay. 

***

James lifted the last chair up and stopped to look around himself, letting out a deep breath. It had been a busy day at work, like most Wednesdays were – for some reason, the elderly people always seemed to get together in the bakery in the middle of the week. James didn't mind. They were always the sweetest. 

"Thank you, Mrs Sprout!" James waved at the grey-haired woman who was slowly making her way towards the door. 

"Thank you for the pastry, dear, it was delicious as always", she smiled, waving her hand in goodbye as she reached for the doorknob. "And tell your mother and father I said hi, I'll pop by on Friday again!" 

"Of course", James smiled: "See you then!" 

"See you", Mrs Sprout flashed one more smile before stepping outside to the street. " _Oh, thank you, darling_ ", James could hear her say a few seconds later. He looked up to see Regulus holding the door open for Mrs Sprout. James set his mop down to lean onto the empty table and nodded as a way of greeting. 

"Hey", Regulus said a little sheepishly when Mrs Sprout was finally safely out of the doorway. He let the door swing shut and stepped properly inside the bakery. 

"Hey", James nodded again, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

"I just wanted to say thank you for the gift", Regulus huffed a laugh: "Felt a bit of a git for just leaving without a proper thank you. Honestly, it was so nice. You didn't have to." 

"Don't worry about it", James swung a dismissive hand. He had been pretty proud about that one, to be honest. The flask had reminded him of Regulus – he'd found it weeks ago from one of the antique shops in town. It had been an impulse buy, really, but James couldn't have just left it there. 

"Sorry, are you closing?" Regulus quickly glanced at the mop behind James and the chairs lifted onto the tables. 

"Starting to, yeah, but it's fine – you can stay for a bit if you want, working the shift alone so I wouldn't mind the company." 

"Oh, okay", Regulus nodded with a tight smile. He looked around himself and rubbed his neck with his hand. "Haven't been here in ages." 

"Yeah, you really haven't, have you?" James smiled as he reached for the mop again. He had already done most of the space, but he still had one section to mop. Regulus walked around the room and took in his surroundings. 

"Used to come here a lot..." 

"With Emma." James kicked himself internally for the blurt. He hadn't intended to say it, it just sort of escaped his lips. Regulus gave him a long glance before looking away. 

"Yeah, with Emma." 

"Mom was asking about you the other day", James said to change the subject. Regulus's eyes softened immediately and he smiled. He leaned an elbow onto the counter and watched James finish the mopping. 

"She was?" 

"Yeah, about all of you", James nodded, smiling: "Says she misses you." 

"That's nice", Regulus smiled softly. 

"Yeah, please don't tell her you popped by tonight", James smirked as he lifted the bucket up and nodded towards the back door. Regulus straightened up and followed him into the kitchen. "She'll be jealous." 

Regulus laughed. "I have to come by sometime when she's at work." 

"Please", James nodded with a serious expression: "Otherwise she'll go crazy and show up at your door. Pretty sure she likes you guys more than I do." 

James winced. What the fuck did he say that for? 

Regulus didn't seem fazed, he just gave a light laugh and glanced around the room again. "Don't think I've ever been back here", he mused, taking a few steps around to check the kitchen. 

"This is where the magic happens", James declared and spread his arms wide. 

"It looks nice", Regulus smiled, continuing his self-guided tour: "Homely." 

"Yeah, I love it here", James smiled, leaning back against one of the counters. Regulus's phone rang at that moment, and he pushed it back in his pocket after having a quick glance at who was calling. James thought he saw his jaw tense, but that might have been a misreading. Regulus didn't elaborate the call, so James let it be. 

"You're gonna have to teach me how to bake one day", Regulus said instead. James felt his heart jump a little at that. 

"Alright", he nodded, watching as Regulus bent down to investigate the ovens. "Grab an apron." 

"Huh?" Regulus straightened up, a bemused look on his face. James nodded at the hook on the wall with the red aprons hanging down from it and went to grab one. 

"Mom will kill you if you don't use one." 

"Are you serious?" Regulus raised his brows, and James was happy to see the corner of his mouth twitching a little. 

"Dead serious." 

"Okay", Regulus huffed a laugh and caught the apron that James threw at him. James grabbed one for himself too and tied it around his waist. 

"Next, wash you hands", James pointed at the sink: "We're baking a cake." 

"We are?" Regulus asked skeptically, but he was already halfway to the sink. 

"Yes, we are", James declared as he bent down to grab bowls from one of the pull drawers. He set them down on the counter and went to look for eggs and milk next. "Grab the flour and baking powder from the pantry", he said over his shoulder as he opened the door to the cold room. "And we need sugar and cocoa powder, too." 

"Sure", Regulus nodded quickly and went to go look through the pantry. James smiled to himself. Suddenly he was in no hurry to get home. 

Regulus returned shortly, flour, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder balanced on his arms. James grinned and took them from him, setting them down on the counter next to the eggs and milk. 

"Okay, um– shit, could you get baking soda, too? And I'll find the canola oil and vanilla extract..." 

"On it", Regulus jerked his head towards the pantry and disappeared again. James waited for him to get back before squeezing himself into the narrow space – he really didn't need to be in that close contact with Regulus right now. 

"What's first?" Regulus asked, placing his hands on his hips in a very Sirius type of way. James bit back a smile and nodded towards the oven. 

"Gotta preheat that. 175 degrees should do it." 

Regulus bent over to fiddle with the buttons of the oven, meanwhile James went to grab two cake tins and baking spray and got them ready. When Regulus straightened up, his phone beeped again. He seemed to be ignoring it on purpose. 

"Aren't you going to check that?" James asked nonchalantly without glancing up from the tins. He was a little curious as to who was trying to reach Regulus so intently, but he wouldn't say that out loud. 

"No, it can wait." 

"Okay. Have you ever used a mixer?" 

"What do you think?" Regulus cocked an amused eyebrow. 

"Am I evil if I want to see you work it out for yourself?" 

"Yes." 

"Pity." 

James walked to the opposite counter and handed Regulus a bowl, advising him to measure the dry ingredients in there, while he plugged in the mixer. He stepped aside to give way to Regulus. 

"This is going to be a disaster", Regulus glanced at him as he observed the machine. 

"I'll let you know if something goes terribly wrong." 

"Thanks", Regulus replied dryly as he set the bowl in place and bent down to look through the buttons. "This one?" 

"You'll have to try and see what it does." 

"James", Regulus said firmly and straightened up. "I swear to god, if this explodes in my face..." 

"Yes, it definitely has a button for that", James nodded solemnly. Regulus shook his head and bent back down. 

"Okay... shit–" he jumped back a little when the machine started running. He then cast a winning grin over his shoulder and James's heart melted. 

"Very good." 

"Thanks. How long–?" 

"Not much... Yeah, that should be fine", James leaned over to look at the mixture over Regulus's shoulder. "Just turn it off and I'll give you more instructions." 

"You're helpful", Regulus mumbled as he flicked the mixer off. 

"Hey, _I_ know how to bake a cake", James pointed out: "You're the one who needs to learn." 

"Alright, alright. So, next?" 

"You just add in the eggs, the canola oil, milk and vanilla extract and mix until it's even. And I'll boil the water–" 

"Boil the water?" Regulus's hand stopped mid-air as he was reaching for the eggs and he raised his brows. James nodded. 

"Yup. It's a trick to bring out the flavour of the cocoa and make the batter less textured." 

"Oh, of course", Regulus said dryly. James snorted. 

"Less sarcasm, more baking." 

He watched from the side as Regulus cracked the eggs into the mixture with a surprisingly professional touch, then added the rest of the ingredients and started the mixer again. 

"Hold on", Regulus pointed at him as he came over with a package of salt. "We're not putting salt in the cake, are we?" 

"Yes, we are", James smiled brightly, shoving the package to Regulus: "Just a teaspoon." 

"Why?" Regulus asked slowly, accepting the pack and looking around for the teaspoon measure. 

"Just trust me." 

"I don't know if I do", he replied, but added the salt in anyway: "I'm blaming you if it tastes like shit." 

"Ha. Alright, then. It won't." 

Finally, when the mixture was looking nice and even, James poured in the hot water and Regulus mixed it in. James then fetched the tins he had prepared with baking spray and flour and watched as Regulus carefully divided the batter in half and poured it into the tins. 

"And then into the oven", James said as he reached for his phone to set up the timer. 

"Are we going to decorate it?" Regulus asked after placing the cake tins into the oven and tossing his apron on the counter. 

James glanced at the clock. It was only eight in the evening, but the cake would have to cool down before they'd be able to add the frosting. 

"Are you in a hurry?" 

"Not really", Regulus shrugged. 

"Right, well if you don't mind waiting another few hours then..." James smirked. He expected Regulus to turn down the offer, but instead he just shrugged again. 

"I'm down if you are. I don't have work until the afternoon so it's no problem." 

"Oh", James nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose again. "Yeah, for sure. I'm down." He had a morning shift ahead of him, but that was just a minor inconvenience. 

"Cool", Regulus smiled, tapping the counter with his finger. "How long is it going to take?" he nodded in the direction of the oven. 

"About a half-hour", James lifted his hand in the air and gestured vaguely. Regulus nodded, then turned his gaze up and looked around himself. James tried desperately to come up with something to say, but he was a bit clueless in that moment. This wasn't exactly how he had planned to spend his evening, in the kitchen with Regulus. 

"We could start making the frosting", he suggested, to which Regulus responded by nodding. "Then we can clean up while we wait for the cake to cool." 

By the time they were done with the chocolate frosting (James watched and instructed from the side as Regulus made a huge mess), the cake was ready to be taken out of the oven. James grabbed the oven mitts and set the tins down on the counter. 

They then started cleaning up the mess they had made, and James didn't even care that he had already done it once that day. It was seemingly easier with Regulus. 

"Hold up", Regulus stopped mid-sweeping, frowning at James: "You hadn't already done this, had you? Before I came?" 

James felt the corner of his mouth twitch up. "Maybe." 

"No, James", Regulus groaned, letting his head fall back. Another very Sirius-like gesture, James now realized. "Are you serious?" 

"Yes, but it's fine", James swung a dismissive hand and turned back to load the dishwasher. "Honestly, I don't mind." 

"You should have said something!" 

"Reg", James said a bit more firmly, though he couldn't help the smile that was forming on his lips: "I do not mind, do you understand? I'm having fun." 

"Yeah, because mopping the same spot multiple times a day is fun", Regulus mumbled sarcastically. 

"It's nicer when you're around, at least", James said without thinking, and felt his neck start to burn. Regulus just smiled tightly and nodded. 

"Okay." 

They cleaned the rest of the kitchen up and James returned the ingredients to their designated spots. Regulus was sitting on the counter on his phone when he got back from the cold room. 

"Your parents aren't going to be mad about this, are they?" Regulus said, glancing up from the screen. 

"Have you met them?" James huffed a laugh: "Like I said, Mom's only going to be mad she wasn't invited." 

"Good. Wouldn't want your mother hating me." 

"As if she could ever hate you", James shook his head, amused: "I swear she adores you. And Sirius. Both of you." 

Regulus glanced back at his phone, looking a bit distracted. He wore a small frown on his face, and James's curiosity got the better of him. "Everything okay?" 

"Mm?" Regulus glanced up, then quickly shut his phone and slipped it in his pocket: "Yeah, fine. Just um– work." 

"Right... haven't found a replacement for Bella, then?" 

"No, not yet... we're on it, though."

"Yeah", James said absently: "That's good." 

Regulus's phone beeped again in his pocket. James pushed himself up and nodded towards the staff room. "I can go in there for a bit if you want to take it." 

"No, please don't", Regulus said quickly, declining the call and then shutting his phone completely. "I'd rather not answer it, to be honest." 

"Oh– Annie's not going to give you shit for it?" 

"Mm? Oh, no, don't worry", Regulus shook his head: "Nothing I can't take care of tomorrow." 

James nodded slowly. Based on the amount of calls and texts Regulus had received throughout the evening, it was definitely something important. But if Regulus wanted to keep pushing it off, then so be it. 

"Music", James suddenly said, realizing they had been working in complete silence the whole time, apart from their own voices and the irritating sounds of the kitchen gadgets they'd used. He fiddled for his phone and connected it to the Bluetooth speakers that Peter had set up in the kitchen – James had had to convince his parents about that one, and he rarely used them unless he was alone. But now he needed something to distract him from the fact that he was baking a chocolate cake with Regulus. How did one end up in a situation like this? 

"Any suggestions?" he called out through the door. 

"Anything goes", Regulus's voice came from the other room. James bit his lip and opened his work playlist, the one he usually listened to through his headphones. He pressed shuffle and quickly skipped the first song before the opening drums of _Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You_ had the chance to start playing. He swallowed at the sudden memory of that night at the pub – he had managed to avoid the song fairly well after that, but he was sure it would have ruined the moment had it started echoing around the kitchen now. 

_Star star_ , which was next in line, was much better an option, and James let it play in the background as he walked back into the kitchen. Regulus smiled up at him from the counter and tapped his shoe against the drawer along with the rhythm. 

James went to check on the cakes. They felt cool enough, and he was aware he couldn't bloody well spent the whole night at the bakery with Regulus, no matter how much wanted to. Not that his parents would have minded – he was just already finding it hard enough to keep his face neutral and not smile stupidly every time he glanced at Regulus, who was now casually swinging his legs off the counter and looking so effortlessly cool. 

"Reckon we can decorate it now", he called out and then heard the sound of Regulus's boots hit the floor as he jumped down from the counter. He walked over and stopped right behind James, glancing at the cakes over James's shoulder. 

"Did I really make those?" he asked a bit incredulously, and James huffed a quick laugh. 

"I'll go get the frosting", he managed, then ducked to go around Regulus and into the cold room. He grabbed the bowl and willed himself to breathe steadily before stepping back into the kitchen. Regulus was tying the apron back around his waist, and James fought the urge to watch as he did so. 

"Fucking..." Regulus mumbled as he fiddled with the strings behind his back: "Can you–?" He glanced at James and turned around, holding the strings out for him to grab. 

"Um, sure", James cleared his throat before setting the frosting on the counter and walking across the room to Regulus. James took the strings of the apron into his hands and tried to tie them quickly while his hands shook vigorously. "There", he finally choked out, quickly stepping further away from Regulus and back to the frosting. 

"Thanks", Regulus said nonchalantly, then walked over to the counter James was standing at and frowned a little. "So how does this work?" 

"It's not difficult", James laughed and hoped he didn't sound as nervous as he felt right then. He could practically feel Regulus's breaths on his skin. He reached for a tinfoil-covered cardboard underlay to build the cake on, lifted the bottom half onto it and then pulled out a scraper and handed it to Regulus. 

"You can do the honours." 

"I have no fucking clue what I'm doing", Regulus pointed out, accepting the scraper and stepping closer to the cake. He tilted his head to the side and looked at James. "Really. I'm going to muck it up." 

"Don't be so self-critical", James nudged him gently with his elbow: "Just go for it – some in the middle, but leave most of it for the top and sides, okay?" 

Regulus took a deep breath. "Okay..." 

He reached for the frosting and scooped out a bit, spreading it across the bottom layer of the cake. Once he was seemingly happy with the result, he glanced up to give James an excited smile. James laughed at the pride he saw in Regulus's eyes.

"Perfect", he nodded, then jerked his head towards the top half of the cake. "Now just carefully lift that one on top and then you can do the rest of the frosting." 

Regulus placed his tongue on the inside of his cheek and adapted a concentrated expression as he lifted the second layer off the rack and placed it on top of the bottom layer. He then scooped more frosting with the scraper and dropped it on top of the cake. 

"How the fuck do I do this?" he mumbled to himself, concentrated, and James had to bite back a smile. Regulus turned around to look at him. "And no help?" 

"Nope, sorry", James exclaimed brightly, not sorry at all. Regulus rolled his eyes and turned back to the cake, biting his lip as he focused on not messing it up. 

"Voilà", he finally straightened up and admired his creation, hands on his hips and a proud smile on his face. He glanced at James from the corner of his eyes. "What does the master say?" 

James bent over and brought his hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully before straightening back up again and nodding earnestly at Regulus. "He approves." 

Regulus punched the air, a small winning gesture, and James had to double up the effort to keep his face neutral. 

"Okay, I'll go get a few extra things you can put on it... we should have some edible flowers or something." 

"We're literally using all of your Mom's supplies." 

"Stop worrying about my Mom", James tilted his head and raised his brows: "We can't do this half-assedly, Reg." 

Regulus mirrored his expression, but sighed in defeat a moment later when James kept his eyes determined. 

"Okay, fine. Go get your flowers." 

James grinned at him and jumped into the cold room once more to find the edible flowers. He took the container and returned to the kitchen, then handed them to Regulus and smiled. "I'm giving you free hands to do whatever you like with them." 

James thought he heard Regulus mumble something along the lines of 'I'll shove them up your ass', but he let that slide as he watched Regulus open the container and pick out a few flowers. He placed them on the cake in an irregular pattern, and James had to admit that it didn't look half bad. He told Regulus that. 

"Guess I might have to change profession, then", he shrugged nonchalantly, but James could see him smile as he looked down at the cake. He put the lid back on the container and handed it to James to take back to the cold room. 

"Only one last thing to do, then", James clapped his hands together as he shut the cold room door and strode over to Regulus. He pulled two forks out of a drawer and handed one of them to Regulus. "You go first." 

Regulus raised a brow and looked down at the cake. "Just straight out of it?" 

"Well, hate to break it to you, but we're not putting that up for sale", James smirked, nodding at the cake. 

"And here I was thinking I got my own signature cake in the bakery", Regulus replied dryly as he pushed his fork into the cake and lifted it to level with his face. He fixed his eyes directly on James as he put the fork in his mouth, only to close them exaggeratedly and let out a satisfied moan. 

"Okay, fuck, that's good." 

James smiled and dug in himself, making a sound of agreement as he swallowed the bite. "You should do this more often." 

"Yeah, I don't think I will", Regulus snorted, shaking his head as he went for another bite. "I might have to ask for the recipe, though." 

"Mm, top secret", James shook his head solemnly. 

"Oh, come on, as if I didn't just make it", Regulus nudged James's shoulder with his own: "And I won't steal it and start up my own bakery if that's what you're afraid of." James saw the corner of his mouth twitch up. 

"That's exactly it", James lifted his hands in the air, then added with finality: "Fine, but I'll have to kill you." 

Regulus shrugged. "Eh, it's worth it. At least wait until I'm finished, though." 

James laughed and went for seconds. They sat there for another twenty minutes, talking leisurely while they destroyed about a quarter of the cake. He packed the rest of it in two containers and gave one of them to Regulus to take home, setting the other one aside to have for himself. When he locked the door to the bakery half an hour later, he was grinning widely and clutching onto the box with a shaky hand. James watched for a moment as Regulus's back receded into the opposite direction, then skipped his way home with a light heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say thank you for all the lovely comments so far! They always bring a smile to my face! <3


	6. Chapter 6

Remus watched in amusement over his cup of coffee as Sirius stumbled into the kitchen, his hair a mess from having just woken up, and wearing nothing but a pair of blue checkered pyjama pants. 

"Morning", Remus quipped brightly, and Sirius grunted in response. "The rent bill came in." 

"Oh, happy day", Sirius yawned, then seemed to straighten up as his eyes searched for the bill in question. He spotted it on the kitchen counter and glanced at Remus. "I'll take care of it after breakfast." 

"Oh no, no need", Remus said absently, already back to turning the page of the newspaper he was reading: "I can do it after work, it's not due until Sunday anyway." 

"No, I've got it", Sirius shook his head and reached for the pot of coffee: "I don't need to be at the gym before eleven, I've got time." 

Remus lifted his gaze off the paper and stared at his half empty cup in front of him. "Sirius." 

"Remus, it's–" 

"You've done it the last three times!" Remus said, turning in his chair to look at Sirius: "It's about time I do it." 

"Remus, you're literally paying half of it, it doesn't matter which one of us does the actual transfer." 

"Exactly, it might as well be me." 

"Nope, I've got it." 

" _Sirius_." 

"Why are you making this so hard? It'll take me two minutes, probably less than that!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and letting them flop back to his sides with an air of finality. "I'm telling you, I can do it before I head to work, it's no biggie." 

"Fine", Remus sighed, turning back to his paper: "I'll transfer you the money the second I get in front of my laptop." 

"No rush." 

"Sirius–" 

"I'm not telling you not to pay me!" Sirius gushed: "I'm just saying, no need to rush with the money." 

"Whatever", Remus shook his head and took another sip of coffee: "You'll get it by the end of the day." 

"Okay", Sirius said blankly, grabbed the bill with him and came to sit opposite to Remus at the table. He nodded at the newspaper. "Anything interesting?" 

"Well, if you consider the fact that cows pick favourites out of their herd interesting..." Remus glanced up and quirked an eyebrow. Sirius scoffed. 

"Oh, that is _very_ interesting", he said haughtily: "And very disrespectful of you to say otherwise. But do they actually?" 

"Yeah, apparently", Remus nodded, reading over the text to find the key sentences for Sirius: "Says here that they have personal favourites they form a closer relationship with... that's cute." 

"Yeah, it is", Sirius said, leaning back on his chair with a smile on his face: "Cows are underrated." 

"Right, well I've got to get going", Remus glanced at his watch and closed the paper, pushing it across the table to Sirius: "Can't be late on the last day." 

"Obviously not", Sirius nodded, sipping on his own coffee: "When are your parents coming again?" 

"Not until Wednesday", Remus replied, reaching for his keys and pushing them into his pocket. "See you after." 

"Yeah, bye", Sirius said, flipping the newspaper around and opening it: "Try not to get bitten by the kids." 

"Wouldn't worry about that", Remus quipped from the hallway, where he was already pulling on a coat: "Try not to get squished by the weights." 

"Me? Never." 

"Right. Bye!" 

"Bye!" he heard Sirius shout before the door swung shut and he was jumping down the staircase. He walked over to the bike shed and patted for his keys in his pocket, then grabbed his bike, locked the door and was on his way. It was a ten minute ride to the school, just the perfect amount of fresh air to get his brain awake and going. The sun was shining on top of it all, and he now realized he definitely could have managed without the jacket. 

It was the last day of the summer term for the pupils, meaning that after today, Remus was facing a month and a half of vacation. He didn't mind the spare time, but with Sirius working his ass of at the gym, he was likely to be spending a lot of his days alone at the apartment. 

Remus left his bike at the side of the building, locked it and then reached for his keys once again. He got in through the teachers' door and left his jacket in the coat rack before heading into the teachers' lounge. He was greeted by a few bright good mornings and hellos. 

Since he had a bit of time to kill before the first lesson he was helping at – he was scheduled to be with Minerva the whole day, thankfully – he decided he'd get the rent payment sorted out of the way. He reached in his bag for his laptop, opened it and logged into the online bank service and typed in Sirius's account number and the sum of the bill. It always pained him a bit to watch the money disappear from his account, but the rent was reasonable when split in two, and they really couldn't find a better place in the area. He hit accept and waited for the money to go through, then logged out and shoved his laptop back in his bag. 

"Good morning, Remus", Minerva walked into the room just then and cast him a sunny smile. 

"Morning", Remus smiled back and got up to go get himself a cup of coffee from the already brewed pot. "Plans for the break?" 

"Going up to Wales", she nodded: "A bit of a self-retreat." 

Remus made a noise of acknowledgement. "I'm actually from Wales. Cardiff." 

"Oh, are you now?" Minerva turned to look at him. 

Remus hummed in response. "We moved here before I started school – my parents have moved back now, but I couldn't bear leaving London so here I am." 

"The more you know", Minerva stated with a smile: "What about you, then? Have any holiday plans?" 

"Oh, no", Remus let out a light laugh: "Well, my parents are coming to visit next week, but other than that, no. I'll see as I go, I guess."

"Fair enough", she smiled and sat down on the sofa. Remus walked over with his freshly poured cup and turned the newspaper on the coffee table; it was the same one he'd read back home, so he left it be. 

"We've got English first", Minerva said to him over the pile of papers she had in her lap: "I was thinking the kids could write a composition on their summer plans." 

Remus nodded and smiled to himself. Classic, but he supposed the kids liked it. 

"And then we've got math", she continued, apparently oblivious of his amusement: "Think we should do a bit of a revision test, how does that sound? You could check them after lunch and we could hand them back at the end of the day – oh, and I bought lollies to give out, don't want the tests to be the only thing they go home for the break with." 

"Sounds good", Remus hummed over his coffee. 

"You'll be back next term, won't you?" she finally looked up, setting the papers on the table and taking a sip of her tea. "The kids absolutely love you, and I'm not going to lie, so do us staff members." 

Remus felt himself blush and smiled sheepishly at the compliment. "Of course", he nodded, looking around the room to avoid meeting her eyes, for he felt a tad touched. "I love being here." 

"Fantastic", she beamed, set her cup on the table and hoisted herself up from the couch: "I'll go put the classroom ready, you come in when the bell rings." 

Remus nodded and stayed seated until he was finished with his coffee, then stood up and wandered into the classroom to find the twenty kids already there buzzing with excitement over the speedily approaching summer holiday. 

***

Regulus tried the door – it was already open, so Lachlan must have come in early, too. He shoved his keys back in the pocket of his trousers and pushed the door open. He stepped inside and took a deep breath to ready himself for what was waiting for him in the back room.

Only he didn't even get to the back room before Lachlan was already standing in front of him, half a dozen packages of plastic cups in his arms. He was wearing his work t-shirt and a pair of light-washed jeans, paired with a look of fury. The latter didn't suit him at all.

"Lachlan", Regulus greeted him with a nod, ready to scamper past him and into the staff room. He took a step forward, but before he got anywhere, Lachlan had already dropped the cups and reached his hand forward, forcing Regulus to stop in his tracks. Regulus cocked him a questioning eyebrow. 

"I called you", Lachlan said steadily, and Regulus had trouble reading the look on his face. The phone in his front pocked was burning with guilt, but he tried to push that away.

"I know, I've been busy."

"Yeah, apparently", Lachlan's voice was a bit cold as he spoke. Regulus swallowed. He had never seen Lachlan like this, he was always the epitome of gaiety. The change in demeanour made Regulus's insides twist.

"Look, I'm sorry", Regulus said, pushing past him and into the staff room. Lachlan let him, but followed close behind. Regulus set his things down on the table and straightened back up, dreading to turn back around. "I just... well, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay, well I do", Lachlan said without missing a beat: "I wanted to at least know you were okay, and you just kept ignoring me–"

"Well, forgive me", Regulus rolled his eyes, aware that Lachlan couldn't see his face. He busied himself by mindlessly flicking through the stack of papers on the table: "Not exactly a conversation I'm ready for." 

"You could have said that on the phone." 

Regulus snapped his head up and turned around to face Lachlan. 

"I didn't _want_ anyone to find out", he snapped. 

"I know!" Lachlan gushed: "I know you didn't, which is why I wanted to make sure you're alright and not lying in a ditch somewhere drunk out of your arse!"

Regulus scoffed and threw his hands up. He slowly brought them to his face and rubbed over his eyes, willing himself to calm down. Fighting with Lachlan was his new least favourite thing in the world.

"As if I've ever been like that", he mumbled. 

"Well, I wouldn't know, would I?" Lachlan choked out, and while Regulus knew he was just worried about him, he couldn't help the feeling of irritation bubbling inside of him. 

"You're the one who left the flat right after that", he managed to say in what he thought was a steady voice. Lachlan shook his head disbelievingly.

"Wasn't exactly in the party mood anymore", he said blankly, and Regulus understood. But he felt too proud to leave it at that and lose the argument.

"Tough", he said, and Lachlan laughed scornfully.

"Oh, fucking fantastic!" he scoffed, then did something Regulus had never seen him do: shouted. "You're not the only one who wasn't ready!"

Regulus froze in his spot. Lachlan was staring at him, but he didn't look angry anymore. His eyes were full of hurt and however competitive Regulus was, he knew there was no winner to an argument like this. So he gave in and let his guard down.

"I know", he said quietly, to which Lachlan responded by looking away. He looked extremely tired, even the blonde colour of his hair looked duller than usual. Regulus felt bad now; he hadn't sacrificed a thought to how Lachlan must be feeling, instead he had been selfish and found a way to forget about it by looking for distractions. He had gone to James instead of Lachlan, and he now realized that had been a mistake.

"I just... well, I think it's easy for you to forget that I go through the same things as you – as anyone", Lachlan said, worrying his lip, and finally looked back at Regulus.

Regulus nodded, then shook his head. "No, of course you do", he said: "And maybe you're right, maybe that does kind of slip my mind sometimes. That you've got your own troubles. But I talked with Remus and–"

That sent Lachlan back into the swirls of anger.

"You talked to _him_?" he spat out in disbelief. Regulus winced at the slip; he should have expected the response to be exactly this. "And here I was thinking that you weren't ready to have this conversation." 

"Okay, that's fair, but please just–"

"Look, I don't even know the bloke, and I'm glad that he could help you, but forgive me for not quite understanding why I'm the only person you won't talk to about this–"

"Not the only person."

"–but I'd really fucking appreciate it if you considered sharing a piece of your mind with _me_ and not someone who has no part in this."

Lachlan grabbed his apron from the chair next to him, turned on his heel and made to leave. 

"Stop", Regulus said at the very last second, and was surprised to see Lachlan actually obey him. He didn't turn back around, but Regulus was thankful for that, for it felt easier to speak to him when he couldn't see the cold look in his eyes.

"Look, you're just this incredibly kind person", he started, and instinctively lifted his hand in the air when Lachlan let out a vague sound: "Please. Let me finish." Lachlan remained quiet, back still turned to him, and Regulus continued after a hard swallow: "So this super cheerful bloke from Australia just walks up to me one day – and mind you, he's not bad-looking at all – and lights up the whole room with him. And then he makes my days just a little easier, and he's always happy and always there to help. And I know it's wrong, but it hardly crossed my mind that you're scared, too."

Lachlan turned around and stared at him blankly. "Are you blaming me–"

"God, no", Regulus huffed a laugh despite himself: "No, I'm not blaming you. I'm blaming myself. Honestly, Lachlan, you've been amazing, and you've taken all my shit and I haven't given you anything in return."

"Well, that's not entirely true", Lachlan shook his head: "Not true at all. Reg, you don't have to apologize–"

"Please. Let me apologize."

"But–"

"Please."

Lachlan just shrugged, looking away a bit sheepishly.

"I'm sorry for not seeing you as a– I don't know, as a person who might get hurt the same way that I do... I know it sounds stupid, but that's essentially what I did, didn't I? I forgot that you're in the same exact situation that I am."

"Wow, Reg", Lachlan shook his head incredulously: "I don't think I've ever heard you talk this much in a day."

"Oh, ha ha", Regulus cocked an eyebrow, but he couldn't help but smile a little. Lachlan smiled too, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Look, all I'm saying is that I'm sorry for not treating you like I should have, it's just easy to forget you have feelings when all you ever do is smile."

"Well, that's just awfully backhanded."

Regulus winced. "Not what I meant."

"Look, it's okay", Lachlan shrugged: "We should go and get the bar ready."

He reached for the doorknob and disappeared down the hall. Ten seconds later Annie stepped into the room, a questioning look on her face.

"Everything alright back here?"

"Fine", Regulus huffed, though he wasn't quite sure about it.

***

Lachlan didn't speak a word to him during the first six hours of their eight hour shift, which Regulus thought was a bit dramatic.

"Lachlan", he tried to make conversation for the fifth time within an hour, but Lachlan just turned his back and started whistling an awfully cheerful tune. "Lachlan", he tried again, more sternly this time, but at that moment Lachlan announced he was taking his break, and Regulus was left alone behind the bar. It wasn't busy, thank goodness, but he was annoyed nonetheless. For someone who was trying to make amends, he was getting horribly cold treatment.

In the five minutes that Lachlan was gone, Regulus took to trying a new approach. When Lachlan returned, he simply kept doing what he was doing without so much as lifting his head up. He didn't even look in the mere direction of him for the following twenty minutes, and they were quiet for the whole time until Lachlan appeared at his side and mumbled: "You're being childish."

"Me?" Regulus raised his brows, not looking up from the lime he was cutting.

"Yes, you", Lachlan said, and Regulus could see him turn to look at him from the corner of his eye. He kept his cool and didn't lift his gaze. 

"We've customers", Lachlan said pointedly. 

"Get to work, then." 

Lachlan huffed. "Fine, be like that, then. Crikey", he mumbled and disappeared from Regulus's side to take the order of the young lady who had just appeared at the till. Regulus pressed his eyes shut and sighed.

Lachlan came back a moment later, and Regulus was painfully aware of the fact that his lime was still looking very much the same as a minute ago. 

"Need help with that?" Lachlan quipped with a tone that was far from his usual playful one. This one was dripping with scorn.

"Piss off."

"No, I'm working."

"Look, if you're going to be like this then fine, but could you just fucking accept my apology and–"

"Why do you care? It's not like I have feelings." 

Regulus dropped the knife in his hand and tilted his head to look at Lachlan. "I didn't _mean_ it like that." 

"Put a sock on it, Regulus", Lachlan said blankly, and then he walked over to the other side of the bar and started refilling the ice container way louder than was necessary. 

A minute passed and Regulus continued his lime cutting quest, until he felt the warmth of another person next to him once again. He lifted his head and closed his eyes, fighting hard not to shout for the whole bar to hear. 

"Go fuck yourself", he mumbled bluntly, opened his eyes and was met with an unimpressed-looking Annie next to him. "Shit, I thought you were–" 

Lachlan snorted in the background, and Regulus all but whipped his head around and had to yet again fight the urge to shout or throw a punch. 

"Sort your shit out, you two", Annie ordered firmly, grabbing the knife from Regulus and pushing him aside to take over: "Whatever it is that you're wrangling about, it's affecting your work." 

"I've no problem–" Lachlan quipped from the beer tap, but Regulus had already grabbed him by the arm and yanked him towards the back room. 

"Don't come back until you've settled it", Annie threw over her shoulder before the door swung shut. Regulus stopped in the corridor and stared at Lachlan, who returned his gaze just as fiercely. 

"You're doing this on purpose", Regulus said stiffly. 

"Oh, am I?" 

"Yeah, you are. Could you just forgive me for being an idiot and we can both go on with our days?" 

"I really was worried about you", Lachlan said blankly. 

"Yeah, I know", Regulus replied and finally broke eye contact. He pressed his chin to his chest and took a deep breath, letting the air out with a loud sigh. "Look, I should have picked up–" 

"Yeah, no shit." 

"– _stop_. I'm trying, okay? I'm sorry I ignored you–" 

"Glad to hear you reali–" 

"Can you _not_?" Regulus huffed: "What the fuck's wrong with you? You've never taken anything I've said personally and now you just keep clinging onto every little detail and making it sound like something it isn't." 

Lachlan avoided looking at him. Regulus almost didn't recognize the person in front of him. 

"Look, I'm admitting to my mistakes and apologizing, and that's something coming from me–" 

Lachlan let out a sudden snort. Regulus searched his face for signs of scorn, but there was a smile tugging at Lachlan's lips, one that he was clearly trying to hide. 

"What?" Regulus asked pointedly and had to fight his own amusement. 

"That really _is_ something coming from you..." Lachlan looked up again, his eyes twinkling in the dim corridor. Regulus fought the urge to kiss that smile he had come to miss so much over the past few days. He had to remind himself he was still pissed off, though it was significantly harder now that Lachlan was more like himself again. 

"Yeah, so take it or leave it", Regulus said in what was supposed to be a decisive tone, but he couldn't help the grin that formed on his face when Lachlan burst out laughing. 

"Yeah, I'll take it", he managed, and Regulus let out a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a laugh. He pressed his face into his hands and huffed a laugh. 

"I'll never hear the end of that", he surmised. 

"You're absolutely right", Lachlan said gleefully. Regulus didn't even care he was being mocked, he was just happy to hear that brightness back in Lachlan's voice, listen to his contagious laugh and see the easy grin on his face. 

There was a knock on the door then, and Annie's muffled voice came from outside the corridor: "Hey, wouldn't be interrupting you otherwise but someone just threw up at a table and I need one of you to clean it up." 

Lachlan and Regulus's eyes snapped to each other in an instant, and then they were both wrestling each other towards the door. 

" _Go_ , it's right up your alley–" Lachlan said in a strained voice as he pushed Regulus by the shoulders. 

"No, _you_ go", Regulus said, ducking to try and get past Lachlan and into the staff room, but with little success. In the end he gave up and let Lachlan shove him out of the door and into the bar, if only to see the winning grin on his face as he settled back behind the counter and watched in amusement as Regulus held his breath and cleaned up the vomit. 


	7. Chapter 7

"The things we do for James", Remus muttered, pulling his windcheater tighter around himself. He bounced his knees up and down to punctuate his point. 

"Stop that", Sirius nudged Remus's knee with his own: "Are you nervous?" 

"Cold", Remus glared at him. 

"And besides, it's for a good cause", he continued evenly like he hadn't heard. 

"I know, I'm still cold." 

"Look, there they go – it's starting!" Sirius ignored him and leaned forward in his seat: " _Go James_!" 

"And Peter", Remus pointed out plainly. 

" _You_ shout that", Sirius glanced at him and cocked an eyebrow. 

"I'm not shouting", he replied flatly. 

"He knows I support him too." 

"Wouldn't hurt to–" 

" _Woo_! _JAMES_!" 

Remus winced and sunk a little lower on his seat. Watching the game in the chilly wind and rain was one thing, having to sit next to an overly excited Sirius was another, much less pleasant affair. 

"You're drawing attention to us." 

"What, I can't cheer for my friend now?" Sirius asked, eyes still on the game. 

"Friend _s_ ", Remus corrected, but he might as well have not: Sirius was too busy following James around the field with his gaze to pay attention to anything he was saying. Remus was glad to see Regulus approach them from the opposite end of the seat row. 

"Hey", he breathed out, settling next to Remus and casting an annoyed glance at the man behind him who was hissing at him to sit down. "Did I miss anything?" 

"No", Remus shook his head: "Apart from–" 

" _YES, James_! _You beauty_!" 

"–that." 

Regulus gave him a painful smile and leaned forward on his seat to tap Sirius's knee over Remus's legs. Sirius lifted his right hand to the side to stop him from interrupting, and kept his eyes on the field. 

"Wouldn't bother with that", Remus advised: "He's busy watching his idol." 

"Hey, shut up", Sirius tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows in an unimpressed way before turning back to watch the game. 

"Hello to you too", Regulus stated plainly, leaning back on his seat. "Is he like this in every game?" 

"Pretty much", Remus said, and then, because he knew Sirius wasn't paying attention, chanced adding: "How's um– Lachlan?" 

He turned to look at Regulus when he didn't get an answer. Regulus shrugged, eyes fixed pointedly on the game. "Alright." 

"Okay. Good", Remus nodded and turned back to the game, too. They watched in silence – well, apart from Sirius' more than enthusiastic shouts and cheers – for the first period of the game. It was 2–1 for Peter and James's team by half-time, and Sirius was finally up for a conversation once the players had left the field to go to the changing rooms. 

"Didn't remember football was so exciting", he smiled contently, then leaned his elbows onto his knees and cocked his head to the side: "What's up, Reg?" 

"Wow, took you forty-five minutes to notice", Regulus said flatly: "Nothing much." 

"Never is with you, huh?" Sirius cocked an amused eyebrow. 

"Funny."

"Thanks." 

"Ha ha." 

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He still didn't like listening to Sirius and Regulus have a go at each other, no matter how lighthearted it was, even though they had been on good terms for years now. Still, it reminded him too much of the days when the two of them could hardly be in the same room together. Remus pushed that thought away; things were better now. 

"The others couldn't make it?" Regulus asked a beat later, like nothing had happened. Brothers were weird. 

"Nah, Lily's visiting her parents, Dorcas is working and Marlene's keeping the gym from exploding", Sirius listed. 

Regulus made a vague sound of acknowledgement before crossing one leg over the other and leaning his elbow on his knee. He placed his chin on his hand and stared out at the field where the opposite team's goalie and a few players were now practising shots and keeping themselves warm. 

"We're organizing a charity karaoke night on Tuesday", he informed mildly: "If you want to stop by." 

"Of course we will", Sirius said like it was out of question that they'd even think of refusing: "What for?" 

"Cancer research – donating eighty percent of the profit to the cause." 

"Oh wow, that's incredible", Remus straightened up, turning to look at him. 

"Yep, well that's Annie for you", Regulus nodded with a light smile: "There's a five dollar entry fee but all of that's going for the Cancer Research Foundation, too." 

"We'll be there", Remus nodded solemnly: "Tuesday, did you say?" 

"Yeah", Regulus nodded: "And thanks, Annie will be over the moon." 

"Look at all the good we're doing", Sirius nudged Remus with his elbow. 

"Yeah. Sitting down watching football and going out for a pint on a Tuesday night." 

Regulus snorted and Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically. "Still. We could have just as well refused, but we didn't." 

"Oh yeah, a pair of lifesavers, we are", Remus nodded flatly. 

"Alright, this is the last time I'm taking you anywhere", Sirius returned haughtily, and Remus had to bite back his amusement when Sirius turned his head pointedly back to the field and kept quiet until the second half of the match begun. 

The other team managed to even the score out with twenty minutes left of the game, much to Sirius's dismay. "Did you see that?" he turned to Remus with a disbelieving look on his face and gestured in the direction of the goal. 

"Yep." 

"What a load of bullshit! Surely that wasn't a clean shot!" 

"Mm." 

Sirius shook his head incredulously and turned back to watch the game from the edge of his seat. Remus watched too, though he had to admit he had never been too big of a football fan. 

Two minutes left in the game and– 

"Did–?" Sirius's hand clutched onto Remus's arm, his eyes widening in shock: "Did Peter just–?" 

"Mmhm", Remus nodded, smiling smugly to himself. 

"That bastard..." Sirius gasped: " _Go Peter_!" 

Remus let out a laugh. Peter did a stupid celebratory punch and then James and the whole rest of the team were piling up on him and slapping him on the back. Even from the opposite end of the field, Remus could see Peter blushing and grinning. He felt a ting of pride for his friend in that moment. 

They managed to keep the score three to two until the referee blew the whistle to indicate that the match had ended. James's team all hugged each other and then the players lined up for the handshakes, before Peter was declared most valuable player of the game, much to the surprise of – well, pretty much everyone. Remus smiled to himself when he heard James shouting and cheering for his friend like a madman. Even Sirius let out a vociferous whistle when Pete's name was called and he nervously walked to redeem his prize. The announcer thanked the players and the crowd and then announced the sum that had been raised for the charity in question; everybody cheered and clapped, and James and Peter found their way to them when the stands were emptying from people. 

"Hey", James grinned stupidly, panting from having jogged over to them. Peter arrived in tow, red-faced and still clutching the small trophy he'd gotten. 

"Well done, Pete", Remus clapped him on the shoulder: "And James." 

"Yeah, not too shabby, Petey boy", Sirius ruffled his hair, earning a rather surprised and a little sheepish smile from Peter, who batted his hand away and blushed even more. Remus fought the urge to tut – Pete gave way too much credit to Sirius. Although Remus wasn't one to talk – he'd spent years pining over him. He still did, to be fair. "And Jamie boy, you weren't too shit either", Sirius grinned and pulled James in for a bear hug. James laughed and shoved him away, then turned to smile at Regulus. 

"Hey." 

"Hey", Regulus smiled back lightly: "Congrats – both of you." 

"Thanks", James said, still out of breath, then clapped Peter on the back: "Shall we go?" 

Peter nodded and then the two of them were on their way towards the changing rooms after giving a giddy wave. 

"I'll head off, too", Regulus said, watching James and Peter's receding backs for a moment: "See you Tuesday, then?"

"Yeah, for sure", Sirius nodded. 

"Of course", Remus echoed: "And thanks for coming – I think James and Pete really appreciate it." 

"Yeah, well, it was about time, wasn't it?" Regulus smiled, then gave a small wave and left the stands. 

Remus and Sirius exited the field shortly after that, too, and started heading towards their flat. The rain had stopped midway through the match, thank goodness, and they decided to celebrate that by walking. 

"Oh, should I pop into the store right now?" Remus asked suddenly as they were nearing their flat twenty minutes later; he'd have to go later on anyway, and the grocery store was suitably on the way. It was his turn to pay, too, which he wasn't too happy about, but no matter how hard Sirius insisted on taking care of it, Remus held his ground and payed every other time. That was the aftermath of one very long, very frustrating conversation they had had shortly after moving in together two years back. 

"Yeah, true", Sirius stopped walking: "Do you want me to come with?" 

"Think I can manage", Remus replied, stepping towards the store. He knew that line too well; Sirius always rushed ahead of him in the line and payed for it before Remus could get a word in, then insisted he had simply forgotten it would have been Remus's turn. ("Well, you can pay next time", he always said.) "See you in a bit." 

"Yeah, alright", Sirius nodded and continued down the street towards the apartment. "Bring eggs!" he called over his shoulder. 

"You and your protein", Remus shook his head but gave in to a smile: "Will do." 

***

" _Yes, I'm quite aware_ – _again_?!" 

Remus toed out of his shoes and shut the door behind him quietly, not wanting to interrupt the call Sirius was in the midst of. He dropped his keys on the dresser and carried the grocery bags into the kitchen, where Sirius was leaning onto the counter with the phone between his ear and shoulder. He was scribbling something on a piece of paper and glanced up when Remus entered the room. 

"I've got to go... no, I _know_ that–" he said into the receiver, pressing his eyes shut in frustration. 

Remus gestured at him not to let him bother the call, but Sirius was already hanging up after saying a dull 'goodbye' into the phone. Remus raised his brows questioningly and started unloading the groceries. 

"No one", Sirius huffed in response to the unvoiced question, placing the phone on the counter and lifting one bag up to start helping Remus. 

"Didn't sound like no one", Remus observed, piling stuff into the fridge. "I still can't remember where you keep these protein... things", he turned a carton over in his hand and lifted it for Sirius to see. 

"The far left cupboard. And don't worry about it." 

Remus glanced over his shoulder and then at Sirius' phone on the counter, the screen still open. Sirius followed his gaze and sighed. 

"Just Filch." 

"And why exactly were you shouting at our landlord?" Remus frowned, moving onto the next bag. For a household of two, they sure consumed a lot of food. 

"I didn't _shout_ at him–" 

"Sounded like it." 

"–he's just being a prick." 

Remus stopped his hand mid-reach into the bag and knitted his brows at Sirius. "Everything okay?" 

"Yes, fine", Sirius said and continued unloading the contents of his bag into the cupboard above the counter: "Like I said, nothing you need to worry about." 

"I have a hard time believing that", Remus said, turning to face Sirius properly: "What's going on?" 

Sirius glanced up from the bag and let out a deep breath. "Look, it's not a big deal", he said, rubbing his hand over his face: "He's just raising the rent, but I–" 

"What?" Remus banged the package of spaghetti he'd just picked up on the counter a little too harshly, but he was too jolted to care. 

"I know, he's being a total ass about it and I told him he can't just do that out of nowhere, but _apparently he_ _can_ –" Sirius pulled a face. 

"How much?" Remus managed to choke out. He had to lean onto the counter for support. 

"Not _that_ much..." Sirius said a bit sheepishly: "Look, I know you don't want me to say this, and that's exactly why I didn't want to tell you, but..." 

"No", Remus shook his head firmly: "No, absolutely not, Sirius, I'm not letting you pay my part of it–" 

"Only the added amount, you'd still be paying the original sum–" 

"How much?" 

"It doesn't matter." 

" _How much_?" 

Remus's eyes found the slip of paper Sirius had been scribbling on earlier, and he made a quick move to grab it from the counter. He ducked when Sirius tried to steal it from his hand, but he almost wished he hadn't looked at the sum when he did, for it was going to be a lot heavier on his wallet than he had anticipated. 

"Holy shit..." 

"Remus, please let me help you out." 

"No, Sirius, you know I can't do that!" Remus gushed. They'd been over this before, when they were first looking for a flat and Remus had had to turn down some of the pricier options. "It's fine, I can find a second job–" 

"You shouldn't have to do that." 

"Well I've no other option, do I?" Remus snapped. "And as long as– hold on..." he lifted his gaze to meet Sirius's eyes, and his insides churned. "Sirius... again?" 

"What?" Sirius frowned. 

" _Again_... You said on the phone, to Filch..." Remus dropped his chin to the side and closed his eyes, biting his lip as he prepared himself mentally. "Has this happened before?" he asked, and when Sirius didn't answer, he had to open his eyes and find out for himself. The look on Sirius's face told it all. Remus groaned. 

"You should have told me!" he threw his hands up in the air wildly, and the determined look on Sirius's face made him feel even more furious. 

"I didn't want to worry you!" Sirius tried to reason, reaching a hand forward: "You've got enough on your plate as it is, and what with your teacher salary and all..." 

"Sirius." 

"What? You're always complaining about it, how low your wage is. And it's honestly no problem–" 

"How long?" 

"Not that long! I promise." 

" _Tell_ _me_!" 

Sirius swallowed and gave Remus a look that was almost apologetic, but not quite. "Three months", he breathed out. Remus cupped his own mouth with his hands and felt like a rug had been pulled from under him. 

"Three _months_? You've been paying our rent alone for _three months_?" 

"Not all of it! You've paid me the ground sum that we agreed on with Filch when we bought the flat!" 

"But you're paying far more for it now than I am!" 

"It's not a problem!" Sirius insisted, letting his hand flop back to his side with a loud thump. 

"It is to me!" Remus shouted, and he was too irate to even feel embarrassed about it: "You have no– fuck, you should have told me!" 

"Well look how _that_ turned out!" Sirius gestured between them. Remus turned his head to the side and shook it vigorously. 

"That wasn't for you to decide", he said with a strained voice: "I'm serious, Sirius, you should have said something." 

"But this has worked out well, right?" Sirius lifted his shoulders: "Right? So why are you being a git about it when I've only been trying to help?" 

"I didn't _ask_ for your help!" Remus gushed. 

"I know you didn't, you never do!" Sirius huffed incredulously: "Just accept the help for once, Remus, I don't care if I have to pay a little extra–" 

"This is not a little!" Remus shook the piece of paper in front of Sirius's face: "This is a lot of fucking money and I'm not going to let you cover it for the both of us." 

Sirius brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Remus scoffed and turned around to lean his hands on the counter. That was just unfair; Sirius didn't get to act the one being wronged when he had been the one to take matters into his own hands without consulting with Remus first. 

Remus pushed himself straight and turned back to face Sirius. He pointed at the phone on the counter. 

"Show me the last three payments." 

"What?" Sirius frowned: "What the fuck, Remus? I'm not going to do that!" 

"Please", Remus said all but calmly, though that was the tone he had been aiming for. 

" _Why_? It's gone. Done. In the past. Dealt with." 

" _No_ , Sirius, I've got to know how much I owe you!" 

Sirius lifted his hands up and looked at Remus with his eyes wide. "Nothing! You owe me absolutely nothing!" 

"I can't do this right now", Remus sighed, pressing his fingers over his eyes. 

"Remus, don't be stupid." 

"Stop acting like this is nothing!" Remus fumed: "I can't fucking believe you'd do that! This is as much my flat as it is yours!" 

"I _know_ that!" Sirius gushed: "Of course it is!" 

"Well, not now, is it?" Remus shook his head incredulously: "You went behind my back when you bloody well knew that I wouldn't accept this!" 

"Well that's exactly why I did it, isn't it?" Sirius offered, and that was the last stitch for Remus. 

"I can't believe I'm having to go through this with a grown man. _Again_ ", he huffed, rubbing his right hand over his face in frustration. "You had no right to do that, you went way out of your line to decide something like that for me, and I will pay every single penny back to you when I fucking can. And no, I will not hear it, because I'm fucking mad at you right now." 

He banged the cupboard below the sink shut with his knee, then crunched the piece of paper into a ball and threw it in the trash bin next to the fridge. Sirius looked like he'd been slapped in the face and Remus didn't even feel bad about it. 

"Sort out the rest of the groceries", he threw blankly on his way out, and made sure to slam the door to his room shut as boisterously as possible. 

Inside his room he flopped down on his bed, covered his head with his arms and groaned into his pillow. He took a few exaggeratedly deep breaths, which only really made him feel more furious, and then threw his pillow across the room and nearly knocked over the full-body mirror leaning against his wall. Fuck Sirius, fuck Filch, fuck his stupid fucking teacher salary, fuck everything. 

He could hear Sirius starting to move around in the kitchen again, and he partially wished that he'd come to Remus's room, just so that Remus could have a go at him again. He felt like he needed to shout, but at the same time it irritated him too much to see Sirius's stupid face, so Remus decided he was better off just blowing off steam by himself. 

He got up and paced his small room back and forth for a while – or the small sliver of it that was paceable and not covered with furniture – and when he heard the door to Sirius's room click shut, he finally exited his own and fetched his bag from the kitchen, where he had left it lying around. He went back to his room and focused on stomping as loudly as possible when he walked past Sirius's room, if only to gas himself up a bit more. 

"Remus", he could hear Sirius call out from his room just before Remus slammed his door shut, and he took great satisfaction in the silence that followed when he pretended not to hear. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: homophobic behaviour

The following two days at Remus and Sirius's shared flat were far from pleasant. Although not usually one to hold a grudge, Remus just couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal over Sirius's actions. And okay, it wasn't like there was no truth to Sirius's words – Remus _did_ have a hard time accepting help most of the time. But Sirius's impeccable way of strutting around and doing whatever the fuck he wanted to was something that drove Remus mad, both in a positive and a negative way. In this particular case, in a _very_ negative way. 

"Please stop acting like a child", was Sirius's way of apologizing on Monday morning, when Remus had hid in his room the entirety of the previous night. 

"Can you just forget about it and move on?" was Sirius's way of apologizing on Monday afternoon after Remus had not replied to his texts from the gym all day. 

"You're being ridiculous", was Sirius's way of apologizing on Monday evening, when Remus still refused to be in the same room with him for more than five minutes, let alone engage in conversation with him. 

"I'm not going to apologize for wanting to help you", was Sirius's way of apologizing on Tuesday morning after another night of silence. 

"Fine, be a prat about it", was Sirius's way of apologizing on Tuesday afternoon after Remus premeditatedly chose not to react to his desperate, seemingly nonchalant attempts at making casual conversation and acting like nothing had happened. 

Sirius Black did not know how to apologize. Or rather, he did not know _when_ to apologize. And Remus wasn't having any of it. 

Remus opted for a pair of black trousers and a plain cream coloured button-down for the charity karaoke night. He slipped his wallet in his pocket and kept his phone in his hand when he excited his room, simply to have something to focus on instead of Sirius. Speaking of whom, he was sitting at the table when Remus walked into the kitchen, feet casually resting on the back of a chair. He was clad in his signature leather jacket, paired with black jeans and that ridiculous black hat that only Sirius could make work. Remus thanked his luck that his annoyance with Sirius beat his attraction to Sirius in that moment. 

"Ready", he said simply, to which Sirius reacted by lifting his feet off the back of the chair and pushing himself up. 

"Are you still mad at me?" Sirius asked mildly when he walked past Remus and into the hallway to put on his boots. 

"Very", Remus replied evenly, after Sirius's yet another poor attempt at an apology, and that was that; they walked to the pub in silence, and Sirius only opened his mouth when they were meters away from their destination. 

"Can we please put this behind us?" he asked pleadingly, lifting his hand before him to gesture Remus to stop. 

"Not before you apologize and let me pay you back", Remus crossed his arms, fixing his gaze directly at him. 

"I'm not sorry for helping you!" Sirius lifted his hands up and let them drop back down: "I don't understand why you can't accept the gesture!" 

Remus scoffed and tilted his head back, taking in a big breath before speaking evenly with his eyes closed: "Of course _you_ don't understand, you're Sirius Black–" 

"That's not fair–" 

"What's not fair is that you'd go and do something like that behind my back!" 

"I had no other choice–" 

"It's embarrassing!" 

Sirius stared at him, his eyes serious and a small frown on his face. "It's not embarrassing", he said quietly. Remus huffed a laugh. 

"You wouldn't get it." 

"Okay, maybe I don't! But you're not exactly _helping_ _me_ _get it_ , either!" 

"Can we just get inside?" Remus nodded at the door: "I'm not having this conversation with you if you're like this." 

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but Remus had already stepped past him and entered the pub. He was met with Lily's warm smile immediately, and he tried not to let his annoyance show. 

"Hey there", she pulled him into a short hug and looked over his shoulder when she pulled back: "Where's Sirius?" 

"Coming", Remus mumbled.

"Good", Lily smiled, then glanced in the direction of the toilets: "Oh, the line's gone – be right back." 

Remus waved her off and turned to greet Regulus, who was hustling behind the counter. "Expecting a lot of people?" 

"Yeah, quite a few", Regulus gave a small smile and looked over his shoulder at the crowd of people already finding a place on the dance floor: "Guess people really want to do some good, huh?" 

"Yeah, _and_ it's a great excuse to drink on a Tuesday", Remus pointed out, to which Regulus hummed agreeably. 

"Just giving people what they want", Regulus cocked an eyebrow, and Remus laughed. "Can I get you anything?" 

"Oh, um– I'm fine, thanks." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah, thanks." 

"Alright", Regulus smiled before fixing his eyes just past Remus and nodding in greeting. Remus didn't have to look behind himself to know that Sirius was approaching the bar, undoubtedly looking plain stupid and incredibly captivating, _fuck_! 

"What's up?" his voice came seconds later as he came to stand next to Remus. Remus had to remind himself no one else knew about their row, and so he kept his expression unflickering. 

"All good", Regulus smiled, leaning his elbows on the counter and jerking his head back. "Want anything?" 

"Water would be lovely, thanks", Sirius said calmly. Remus tilted his head to the side and raised his brows. 

"You're not drinking?" 

Sirius shook his head slightly and accepted the water bottle that Regulus handed him over the counter, then reached in his pocket for his wallet. "Keep the extra", he said as he handed out the cash: "It's for a good cause." 

"How noble of you", Remus mumbled from the corner of his mouth. Sirius turned his head to give him a pointed look. 

"It _is_ for charity, Remus", he said with an exaggeratedly pleasant smile, and Remus felt himself flush a little. 

"Right", he cleared his throat and swallowed his pride: "Reg, can I have a water, too?" 

"Sure thing", he smiled and went to grab one. Remus made sure to pay a little extra, too, to make up for his stupidity. Sirius smiled smugly at him, which he tried to ignore. 

Regulus held the bill up in salute and went to store it in the till, then came back and returned to his previous position over the counter. "Are we going to hear Queen tonight?" he asked Sirius and nodded towards the karaoke stand on the small stage in the corner. 

"We'll see", Sirius raised his brows slyly as he took a sip of water. 

"Hey, Siri", Lily appeared at their side, then nodded at Regulus in greeting: "Reg." 

"Hey there, Lils", Sirius smiled pleasantly and ruffled her hair a little. She ducked and gave him a mock annoyed look. Remus took it up a notch and gave him a genuinely annoyed look, which earned him a pointed brow-raise from Sirius. 

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked obliviously. 

"Sirius just promised a top tier performance later on", Regulus said mildly, ducking when Sirius sent the cap of the water bottle his way. 

"Oh, did he now?" Lily smiled slyly: "Can't wait." 

Sirius, Regulus and Lily chatted for a bit longer, while Remus listened halfheartedly from the side. They were interrupted eventually by James, who walked up to them and clasped Sirius on the back. 

"Ready to put the band back together?" he asked cheerfully. Sirius grinned at him and turned to look at Remus sheepishly. 

"It'll be the reunion of the century", he said with a hopeful smile: "But only if Remus joins in, too." 

"Excuse me", Remus tutted and pushed himself straight: "Bathroom." 

He made a quick escape towards the toilets, not that he actually had to go. He was nearly on the other side of the pub when he felt Lily's hand grasp his arm and before he knew it, he was being pulled to the side. Lily let go of his arm when they were out of hearing distance of the others and leaned a little closer to speak over the noise. "Why does it look like you're avoiding Sirius?" 

"Because I am", Remus said steadily and tilted his head to cast a gloomy glance at the wall next to him. 

"What? Why?" Lily frowned, flicking her eyes towards the bar, where Sirius was in the middle of an animated conversation with James. 

"He's just– ugh, it's whatever", Remus sighed: "He did something without telling me that he really, really should have told me about... but that's Sirius for you." 

"Oh, poor you", Lily tutted: "But – and forgive me for being annoying – it's Sirius, and I know you don't want to hear this, but he probably meant well." 

"No, I know he did. It just infuriates me that he'd take the matter into his own hands when he had no right to do so."

"Of course it does." 

"But I'm just trying to not think about it tonight, hence why I'm keeping my distance." 

"Okay, just checking in", Lily smiled and squeezed his shoulder: "Come on, let's go have fun." 

"Actually", Remus's eyes flicked to the bar, and he now noticed Sirius and James were gone, then spotted them heading outside. "I need to do one thing first – I'm right behind you." 

"Alright", she gave one last smile before disappearing towards the dance floor, where Dorcas was already swaying side to side happily, reaching her hands towards Lily to pull her into a hug. Remus smiled to himself and turned around to head back to the bar. 

"Reg, hey", he lifted his hand in a little wave and beckoned him over. 

"Hey, what's up?" Regulus said, drying a glass in his hand with a kitchen towel. He glanced behind himself to make sure there were no customers waiting for him, then set the glass and towel onto the counter and leaned onto his elbows. "All good?" 

"It's, um... well, it's a bit of a touchy subject", Remus started tentatively. Regulus frowned a little, checking the customers again, and then leaned a bit closer to Remus, who took a deep breath. "Are you still hiring?" 

It took Regulus a moment to catch on, but when he did, he tilted his head back in realization. "Ohh, do you need a job?" he asked with a raise of his brows. Remus gave a sheepish nod and sighed, settling himself onto a bar stool. 

"I'm– well, our rent's going up – already has – and I just need a bit of extra to be able to pay it", he said steadily. Regulus didn't flinch, and Remus continued on a bit more confidently: "I was just wondering– you know, you said Annie was looking for someone to take over Bella's spot and if the job's still available...?" 

"Sure", Regulus nodded and pushed himself straight: "I mean, I'll let Annie know – not like _I_ can do anything about it, but yeah, I'll talk to her." 

"Okay, thank you", Remus breathed and gave a relieved smile: "And um– would you mind not mentioning anything to Sirius? I just don't want to say anything unless it's a hundred percent sure..." 

"Of course", Regulus nodded: "I'll let you know, okay?" 

"Yeah, thanks." 

Remus watched him return to the till when a new customer approached the bar, and he felt a bit better about himself. At least he hadn't been turned down in an instant, and if Annie still hadn't hired anyone, his chances were looking bright. 

"Woop", Sirius appeared by his side: "Come dance with me." 

Remus tried to hide his bemusement and focused on looking unbothered instead. "Why would I?" 

"No, the question is why would you _not_?" 

"Don't you think it's a bit... I don't know, _obvious_?" 

"Remus, when are you going to realize that friends can dance with each other?" Sirius asked with a tilt of his head: "Besides, we're only drawing attention to ourselves by being on the opposite sides of the room all the time." 

"That's because I'm still mad at you." 

Sirius groaned. "Can't you just let it be?" 

"No, Sirius, I really can't!" 

"But your parents are coming tomorrow and I doubt it'll be nice for anyone if you're giving me the silent treatment." 

Remus bit his lip. That much was true, but he was still not over the whole rent thing. 

"Fine. If you let me pay you back right now." 

"What? No, Remus–" 

"Then _no_." 

"You can do it tomorrow, okay?" Sirius hurried to say: "Not when you're in the middle of a night out, right?" 

"Okay, the second I wake up", Remus said sternly. The corner of Sirius's mouth twitched up. 

"Sure thing–" 

" _Hey_!" 

Remus jerked his head to the side to see a flock of people jump back near the bar. A man in his forties stumbled back a few steps before straightening back up and casting a furious look at someone in front of him, who Remus couldn't quite see over the crowd. 

"You fucking–" the man stepped forward and shoved the unknown person in front of him. 

" _Oi_!" Lachlan's voice boomed from behind the bar. Someone was yelling 'fight, fight, fight' in the background, and a young woman let out a shriek. It was chaotic. 

"I'm going to fucking get you in a hospital–" the older man growled and lifted his fist in the air threateningly. 

"Alright, woah woah woah", Lachlan jumped over the counter and strode over to the man with his hands raised before him in a calming gesture: "That's enough – the door's that way." 

Remus frowned at Sirius, they shared a quick look of confusion and then simultaneously pushed themselves up and through the crowd. 

" _He_ hit _me_!" the man shouted in Lachlan's face, waving his hands in the direction of the bar. 

"For a fucking reason!" the still unidentified person spat out, and Remus's stomach did a somersault. That was a voice he recognized a little too well. He glanced at Sirius next to him – only he was no longer by his side, but striding towards the core of the incident. Remus followed close behind and saw who he thought he'd heard: James was standing face to face with the bearded man, clenching his fists while Lachlan tried to come in between the two. 

"Sirius, a little help here", Lachlan said with a strained voice, pushing the bearded man further away with one hand while trying to keep James back with the other. Sirius reacted immediately, grabbing James by the arm and pulling him back. 

"Come on", Sirius growled, eyes stony and set on the beard-faced man. "Not worth it." 

"But he–" 

"Whatever he did, James, be the bigger person–" 

" _Let go of me_ , I need to show him w–" 

"James, let it be", Sirius commanded, holding him tight as he tried to escape Sirius's grasp. Lachlan was saying something to the unknown man, a finger pointed to his chest and a stern look on his face. "Alright, what did he do?" 

"He– he–" James panted, trying once more to jerk his arm back but with little success. His eyes were trained on the man now leaving towards the exit; Remus had never seen him so agitated. 

"He called us poofs", Lachlan appeared next to them, nodding towards Regulus, who was still behind the bar, looking a little more than disoriented. 

"That fucking–" Sirius's head snapped to the side and he finally let go of James's arm, and this time it was him who had to be held back. Remus and Lachlan pushed at his shoulders to keep him from running straight towards the door. 

"Come on, Sirius, let him go", Remus choked out. It was in these moments that he wasn't so happy about Sirius' going to the gym. "He's an idiot, let him run away." 

Sirius fought for a little while longer before tearing his eyes off the door and turning to Lachlan. He shook his head clear. "Are you okay?" he panted, then glanced at Regulus. 

"Yeah, fine", Lachlan nodded, lowering his hands as it seemed Sirius wasn't going anywhere. Remus suddenly felt very aware of his own hand still resting on Sirius's shoulder and quickly dropped it. Lachlan turned to look at Regulus, too, who just gave a faint shrug. 

"Nothing I haven't heard before", he said nonchalantly, and Remus had to give it to him; he managed to come off pretty calm. "They're assholes, can't really run from them." 

He resumed his work after a swift shared look with Lachlan, which Remus was sure no one but him noticed. He tugged at Sirius's shirt and nodded at the door. "Let's go for a breather, okay?" 

"Yeah", Sirius huffed, though he still looked wound up. Remus then realized that the older man might still be outside the pub, but before he could come up with a plan to keep Sirius away from the door, he was being pulled towards it. 

"Sirius, hold up", he breathed, trying his best to stop Sirius from striding forward at full speed. 

"What?" Sirius turned around and raised his brows. 

"Let's not– let's just stay inside, yeah?" 

"Oh, for fuck's sake, I'm not going to jump him", Sirius huffed out, but Remus's wasn't quite convinced. "Come on, I really could do with some fresh air." 

"Fine", Remus sighed and let himself be pulled out the door and to the street: "But you're not leaving my side, I don't want to act a nurse tonight." 

"Why would you have to?" Sirius asked mildly, not bothering to look back at him. 

"No reason", Remus muttered, deciding it was best he didn't give Sirius any ideas. "You reckon James is fine?" 

"I'm sure he is", Sirius nodded, looking relieved at the fact that Remus was at least talking to him. "Are we okay?" 

Remus sighed. The annoyance inside him still hadn't completely faded, but he supposed he couldn't be mad forever. "Yeah, I guess", he said in defeat: "But you honestly ought to tell me about stuff like that–" 

"I know, I'm sorry", Sirius cut in, his eyes wide and pleading: "Won't happen again." 

Remus sighed again. "Okay. Good." 

"Good?" Sirius repeated hopefully, like he wasn't sure he had heard him correctly. 

"Yeah", Remus nodded and gave half a smile: "Good." 

***

"Are you alright?" 

James whipped his head around at the voice suddenly speaking next to his ear. Regulus was leaning over the counter, a look of worry on his face. 

"Yeah, I'm fine", James said a bit meekly, turning around to properly face him: "Didn't get hit – lucky." 

"Your arm's bleeding", Regulus supplied evenly, and James jerked his head down to look. Regulus reached over the counter and tapped on the backside of James's arm. James rotated his arm and craned his neck to see that there was indeed a pretty bad-looking cut there. 

"Must have hit it somewhere and not noticed", he observed. Regulus jerked his head in the direction of the staff room. 

"Come on, let's get you patched up." 

"Are you sure?" James looked up from his arm, then eyed the bar to check the customer situation. There weren't many, and Annie was now hustling behind Regulus. 

"Yeah, we're not busy", Regulus nodded and turned to say over his shoulder: "Annie, you ok if I take a quick break?" 

"Yeah, fine!" Annie called out over her shoulder: "Tell Lachlan to come here if it gets busy." 

"Will do", Regulus replied, then looked at James and nodded at the door again: "So?"

"Yeah, thanks", James smiled and pushed himself up, then followed Regulus out of the room and through the staff door. The corridor was dimly lit and their footsteps echoed around them. James felt himself shiver slightly. They reached the back room and Regulus pushed the door open, then held it so that James could duck in. "Thanks." 

"Oh, hi there", Lachlan looked up from the bowl of salad he was eating at the table. His legs were crossed on the chair in front of him: "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine", James nodded: "Thanks for jumping in, really." 

"No biggie", Lachlan smiled and set the bowl on the table. 

"Haven't witnessed a pub brawl in ages", Regulus said from where he was already standing on a stool, going through a cupboard and no doubt looking for bandages, not looking back when he spoke: "Just here to sort out the battle wounds." 

"Right, of course", Lachlan nodded, lifted his feet off the chair and slammed his hands to the table to hoist himself up: "Well, I'm done anyway, I'll just leave you to it." 

"Oh, it's fine", Regulus turned to look over his shoulder: "We'll just be a minute." 

"Eh, I should get back already", Lachlan waved him off and made towards the door. "Thanks for standing up to that asshole, James", he quipped from over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him. James didn't have time to reply while he was still in the room, so he ended up just smiling stupidly at the door. 

"Found it", Regulus straightened up and held the first-aid kit up, then turned around and jumped off the stool: "Sit there." He pointed at the table Lachlan had just left. 

James walked over and his gaze momentarily flicked over the half-finished bowl of salad on the table. He had no time to give it a second thought before Regulus was already pushing at his shoulder to guide him to sit down on the edge of the table. James obeyed and looked around the room while Regulus unzipped the first-aid kit and pulled out disinfection spray, cotton pads and a bandage roll. 

"You really didn't notice getting this?" Regulus asked, leaning closer to get a better look of the cut. James tried not to pay attention to Regulus's soft breaths grazing his skin. 

"Nope", he managed. Regulus lifted his brows momentarily, then uncapped the spray bottle with his teeth and sprayed some of the disinfectant on a cotton pad. 

"Might sting a bit", he said, put the cap back on the bottle and set it down on the table, then placed his hand onto James's shoulder and leaned over him to brush the cotton pad over the wound. "You fine?" 

"Yeah", James choked out, not because it stung but because Regulus felt so warm against him. 

"Hurt that bad?" Regulus asked. 

"Mmhm", James nodded, biting his lip. He really hoped Regulus couldn't feel his heartbeat thumping against his hand. 

"Okay, then just the bandage", Regulus straightened up and reached for the roll: "Turn around a bit... yeah, like that. And lift your arm up a little... thanks." 

Regulus stepped closer again, placed a cotton pad against James's skin and started wrapping the bandage around it. He was breathing steadily, and it shouldn't have caused James to flush. But it did. He thanked his lucky stars for the dim lighting of the room. After a moment, James chanced a glance at him; Regulus had his tongue between his lips and a focused look in his eyes, and that was all a bit too much for James. 

"Thanks", he scooted a bit further away the second Regulus was done with wrapping the bandage. 

"No problem", Regulus gave him a half-frown, half-smile, and went to put everything back in the kit. "Should stop bleeding eventually, the cut's not that deep. Looks worse than it is." 

"Yeah, thanks", James repeated, pushing himself down from the table. 

"Need ice on those?" Regulus nodded at his hand. 

"What?" James glanced down quickly and realized that he'd been absently rubbing at his knuckles. They _were_ a bit red, but he couldn't stand another moment in the room alone with Regulus: "No, I'm fine." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah, perfect", James nodded and stepped towards the door: "Thanks again." 

"It's fine", Regulus let out a light laugh: "I'm right behind you, yeah?" 

"Okay", James breathed, flashed one more smile and then all but ran out of the room and back into the bar. He nearly bumped into Lachlan as he pushed through the staff door. 

"Gee", Lachlan laughed and stepped back a little, then gave a skeptical smile: "Got everything sorted back there?" 

"Yeah", James nodded quickly, tried to smile naturally, then jerked his head towards the exit: "Fresh air. Um– Sirius." 

Lachlan nodded and fixed him with another smile before turning to go back to the back room. James fought the blush creeping up on his face and pushed past the stream of people to get to the door. He gasped for air the second the cool breeze hit him in the face and spotted Remus and Sirius in the distance, leaning onto the outside wall of the pub. He floundered over to them and tried to adapt a neutral expression. 

"Hey there, Rocky", Sirius turned to grin at him widely when he noticed him approaching. "Quite a show you put on in there." 

"Yeah, anytime", James replied absently, still working hard to regain his composure. 

"Are you good?" Remus asked, frowning. "You look a little pale." 

Better that than flushed, James thought to himself. "Alright", he nodded: "Just needed a bit of oxygen." 

Remus nodded. A sly grin formed on Sirius's face. His eyes flicked mischievously between Remus and James, and he leaned to nudge Remus with his elbow. "How's that reunion sound now?" 


	9. Chapter 9

Remus set his book aside and stretched along the length of the couch. He felt good about having already finished a workout at the gym and it wasn't even eleven in the morning. Sirius, being the Duracell Bunny he was, had gone for a run afterwards. Remus cracked his neck and got up, then headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on. He figured Sirius wouldn't be too long and would probably appreciate a cup of coffee once he got back, so Remus did that while the water was boiling. 

Five minutes later he poured the tea into his favourite mug (the one Sirius had gotten him with the cartoon picture of them, James, Peter and Lily printed on the side) and padded back into the living room. He settled onto the couch and continued with his reading until he heard the front door open and close ten minutes later. 

"You will not believe what I saw!" Sirius's voice came from the hallway, and within seconds he appeared in the doorway, flushed and panting. Remus couldn't quite comprehend how someone could look so good after a run. 

"Why, tell me", he lifted the cup to his mouth to hide his smile. Sirius leaned onto the door frame and closed his eyes while letting out a dreamy sigh. 

"A dog–" 

"Surprise." 

"–with a hat", he finished, opening his eyes and looking at Remus excitedly. Remus snorted and set the cup on the table. 

"Remus!" Sirius continued, clearly not satisfied with Remus's reaction, and held onto the door frame dramatically: "A dog with a hat!" 

"How's that possible?" Remus asked plainly, biting back a grin. 

"One of those yellow rain hats!" Sirius went on like he hadn't heard: "And it wasn't even raining." 

"Please tell me you took a picture?" 

"I wish", Sirius smiled ruefully and let out another exaggerated sigh: "Love of my life." 

"Lucky dog." 

"How's your morning been?" Sirius asked, dropping the previous subject impressively quickly: "Heard anything from your parents?" 

"Not after Mom texted the train's moving", Remus yawned, stretching his arms overhead: "There's coffee in the kitchen." 

"Lifesaver", Sirius smiled gratefully, then crossed the room to Remus instead of going into the kitchen. He caught Remus's wrists in the air and bent down to kiss him on the lips. "I see you haven't showered", he pulled away slightly, smirking: "Were you waiting for me?" 

"Oh yes, it had everything to do with that and nothing to do with me being lazy", Remus replied plainly, but had to fight the smile tugging at his lips: "We _do_ have some time to kill, though..." 

"Oh, well I wouldn't want to interrupt your reading", Sirius said innocently as he placed his hands on Remus's hips and kissed him again. 

"Thoughtful of you", Remus observed, tugging slightly at Sirius's shirt to pull him closer. 

Sirius kept his hands firmly on Remus hips while their lips moved together, slowly at first, then faster and with more anticipation. Remus brought his hands to either side of Sirius' neck and pulled him that much closer, so that Sirius had to crawl forward on the couch to steady himself. 

"Shower?" he mumbled into their next kiss, then tilted Remus's head back to gain access to his neck. Remus nodded desperately, but Sirius didn't nudge. His hands moved up from Remus's hips, then down and teased at the waistband of his shorts. Remus had to push him back by the shoulders, otherwise they would not be making it to the shower. 

"Come on, Sirius", he breathed, fighting to not give in to Sirius's lips roaming around his skin. "Move." 

Sirius pulled away reluctantly, but his smirk widened when Remus pushed the both of them up from the couch and crashed Sirius' lips again, guiding him backwards toward the bathroom. They hit a few corners and nearly knocked a painting off the wall, but Sirius didn't seem to mind the harsh treatment. 

Remus reached behind Sirius's back to open the bathroom door, then pushed him in and shut the door behind them. 

"How much time?" Sirius managed to say between sloppy kisses. 

"If the train's on time", Remus breathed, fiddling with the strings of Sirius's sweatpants, "it should be here at around one." 

"No rush, then", Sirius grinned against his mouth, kicking out of his sweats before grabbing Remus by the waist and pushing him against the counter. 

"Shower", Remus reminded, pushing his hands to Sirius's shoulders to get him to move. 

"Yes, Remus, that's why we're here", Sirius leaned back slightly and cocked an eyebrow. Remus was about to bite back, but Sirius pressed their hips together just then, and the words got lost somewhere in his throat. 

"I've still got to clean up the kitchen before–" Remus choked out, but got a little too distracted by Sirius thrusting against him to be able to finish the sentence. 

"Mm, yes, Remus", Sirius mumbled against his neck. Remus could practically see the smirk on his face. "Love when you talk dirty like that." 

Remus let out a breathy laugh and reached for the hem of Sirius's t-shirt – that was enough to get Sirius off of him for a second, and he pushed himself off the counter and pressed against Sirius again, this time walking him backwards towards the shower. 

"What, you want to go in with your clothes on?" Sirius grinned, eyeing Remus from head to toe. Remus rolled his eyes and started pulling at the hem of Sirius's shirt again, this time lifting it over his head. Encouraged by the extra amount of bare skin he now got to work with, he leaned down to kiss Sirius's neck, shoulders, chest, and finally dropped to his knees to plant kisses on his stomach. He took the waistband of Sirius's pants between his teeth and glanced up to look at Sirius, who was looking down expectantly. 

"Get in the shower", Remus said with a smirk, pushing at Sirius's hips gently until he stepped back and into the shower. Remus stood up and pulled his shirt and shorts off hastily, then stepped in with Sirius and was immediately met with a forceful kiss. Remus knelt down again, this time pulling Sirius's pants off his legs and throwing them haphazardly somewhere near the sink. Sirius pressed his hand to the wall for something to lean onto when Remus took him into his mouth. He let out a breathy laugh and brought his other hand into Remus's hair. 

"Thought we were supposed to be showering", he pointed out, and Remus took pride in hearing the strain in his voice. For the quip, he snaked his hand behind Sirius' back and turned the shower on – never mind that Remus was still wearing his pants – earning a half-gasp, half-laugh from Sirius, that soon turned into a moan when Remus picked up his pace. 

"Remus, fuck, I'm going to–" Sirius gasped, tightening his grip in Remus's hair. Remus walked forward on his knees a bit, allowing Sirius to step back and lean his back against the wall. He came with a loud groan moments later, and Remus kept his hands on Sirius's hips to keep him still for it. He stood up after Sirius had regained his composure, finally kicking off his now drenched boxers. Sirius opened his eyes and grinned, looking down and then back up at Remus. 

"Was it worth it?" he said, nodding towards the wet boxers now laying on the tile floor of the bathroom. 

"Oh, definitely", Remus said, playing the sounds of Sirius gasping back in his head. 

Sirius hummed, then took Remus by the waist and turned him around, pressing flush against his back. "Shampoo first", he said, kissing Remus's neck and back, his hands snaking around him to stroke him teasingly: "Then I'll return the favour." 

Remus was about to suggest they skip the shampoo part, when he suddenly heard the muffled click of the front door. He straightened up and turned to glance at Sirius over his shoulder; he must have heard it too, because his eyes widened momentarily, and then he turned the shower off and pushed Remus gently out of it. 

"Fuck, fuck–" Remus whispered and reached for his towel in panic, wrapping it around his waist: "What do we do?" 

" _Are you motherfuckers home_?" James's voice came muffled from the other end of the apartment. 

"Just– hold on", Sirius said, grabbing his own towel to cover himself up: "Go on, open the door." 

"What?" Remus frowned, but Sirius was already pushing him towards it and out into the corridor. 

"Took you long enough, Remus!" Sirius said loudly, raising his brows at Remus and nodding in the direction of the hallway, where James was undoubtedly getting rid of his shoes and jacket. "I'll just pop into the shower now that this one's out, James, be right there!" he called out, then gave one last grin at Remus and disappeared back into the bathroom. Remus could hear the shower turning on again, and James stepped into view seconds later, holding a bouquet of flowers. 

"James, hey. What are you doing here?" Remus said after regaining his ability to speak: "What are the flowers for?" 

"Your Mum, you dimwit", James smiled: "What, like I could miss the opportunity to see your parents? I love them." 

"Yeah, of course", Remus nodded, still a bit bemused and very much panicked about nearly getting caught: "I just – didn't know you were coming, that's all." 

"Yeah, well when have I ever had to announce beforehand anyway?" James replied goodnaturedly, and Remus shrugged in agreement, because that was a fair point. The apartment was practically a third James's. 

"Um, you can just put those in the kitchen", Remus nodded at the bouquet after a beat of silence: "Find a vase for them or something – I'll go get dressed, be right back." He jerked his head in the direction of his bedroom and made a quick exit. He could hear James starting to go through their cupboards from inside his room, where he finally let out a relieved breath of air. It seemed like they had gotten away with it once again, only it was getting a bit too narrow for his liking.

Remus pulled on his favourite pair of light-washed jeans and a t-shirt, towelled his hair haphazardly and headed back to the living room, where James was lounging on the sofa, watching Modern Family. Remus settled next to him, only to jump a little two minutes later when his phone started ringing on the coffee table where he'd left it. He reached over to see who was calling, and his stomach twisted a little when he saw Regulus's name on the screen. 

"I have to get this", he said quickly, clutched the phone to his chest and hurried out of the room and into the corridor. 

"Reg, hey", he whispered into the phone when he finally dared answer. 

"Sorry, bad timing?" 

"No, just... James is here and I don't want to sound suspicious." 

"Whispering into your phone might do just that, don't you think?" Regulus pointed out in amusement. 

"Yeah, you're probably right", Remus huffed a laugh and returned to his normal speaking volume: "What's up?" 

"You got the job." 

"What?" Remus straightened up, blinking: "Wait– just like that?" 

"Yeah, well Annie said she knows you well enough, and that it's pointless to set up an interview when she's sure you're perfect for the job." 

Remus felt himself flush a little. 

"She asked me to tell you to stop by over the weekend if you can, to sort out all the formal stuff, and then you could start next week – how's that sound?" 

"That's– shit, that's incredible, Reg. I don't– I don't know what to say... thank you", Remus ran a hand over his face and grinned. He felt like a knot had untied itself inside of him. 

"No worries", Regulus said easily from the other end of the line: "And hey, tell Sirius about it, yeah? Only Annie doesn't know he's not supposed to know and she might very well slip something by accident..." 

"Yeah, no, I will", Remus said quickly. He covered his mouth with his hand and took a deep breath, not even bothering to try and tame the smile on his face. 

"All right – just thought I'd let you know right away." 

"Yeah, thank you, honestly... I can't believe it." 

Regulus laughed lightly, then held the phone away from himself, given out by the suddenly muffled sounds. "Hey, sorry to cut it short but I really need to go", he said a moment later: "It's– Lachlan. Shit, I keep forgetting you know." 

"Oh, go ahead!" Remus hurried to say: "Don't worry, I should get back to James – Sirius and I are being terrible hosts right now." 

"Doubt James minds", Regulus said and Remus could tell he was smiling. "But yeah, I should go – see you next week at work, eh?" 

"Yeah", Remus said, shaking his head to himself in disbelief: "Yeah, see you there. Bye." 

He ended the call and was still wearing a baffled smile when the door to the bathroom opened and Sirius stepped out, a towel slung low on his hips. He raised his brows and glanced in the direction of the living room before walking over to Remus. "We good?" he whispered, casting another look at where the sounds of the television were coming from. 

Remus nodded and tried his best to control his smile. He'd tell Sirius when it was just the two of them, to ensure world peace, or to at least avoid any collateral damage. 

"Good", Sirius smiled, pressing his hand against Remus's hip and sneaking a quick kiss onto his neck. Remus tried to keep his mind off the fact that Sirius was standing right in front of him with nothing but a towel on, for he was painfully aware of the fact that James was just in the other room. 

"Please don't do that", he coaxed in a low voice when Sirius continued pressing kisses along his jaw and neck: "Not when my parents are on their way and I know I have to keep my hands off of you for the next four days." Another fact he was painfully aware of, especially now that Sirius was winding him up with his mouth. 

"They're not here yet", Sirius mumbled into his ear. 

"No, but James is", Remus managed, making sure to keep his hands to himself in order to keep things from escalating. 

"Yes, but he's perfectly oblivious", Sirius said, straightening back up and raising his brows at Remus. He tilted his head and kept his eyes on Remus as he called out: "Oi, James!" 

"Yeah?" 

"Me and Remus are going to take a shower together, care to join?" He grinned at Remus's mortified look. 

"Say no more", James replied easily. Sirius lifted his hands up like he had just proven an excellent point. 

"No", Remus shook his head, unimpressed: "Sirius, we can't..." His words faded into a sigh when Sirius pressed one more kiss to his neck, then swatted him on the ass when he walked past him and towards his bedroom. 

"What was that?" James shouted from the living room. 

"Slapped Remus on the ass", Sirius called from his door. 

"No he didn't", Remus shouted back. James laughed. Remus rubbed a hand over his face and cussed to himself before shaking his head clear and returning to the living room to sit next to James again. Modern Family was still on, and Sirius joined them shortly, having clad himself into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, his hair dripping water onto the fabric around his neck. They watched the show for another half an hour to pass time, until there was a knock on the door that indicated that Remus's parents had arrived. Remus clung himself up from the couch and walked over to the hallway to let them in. 

"Darling", his mother pulled him into a hug before he could properly get the door open: "How are you?" 

"Perfect", Remus huffed a laugh, then went on to hug his father: "How was the trip?" 

"Tiring", Hope smiled faintly: "But all worth it – is Sirius here?" 

"Yeah, he is", Remus laughed, nodding in the direction of the living room: "And James." 

"Oh, lovely!" Hope beamed, gave his shoulder a warm squeeze, then started to take her shoes off. Remus stepped back to give them some room. The TV went off in the other room, and soon James and Sirius appeared in the doorway, leaning onto the door frame casually as they waited for Hope to spot them. 

"There you are!" she finally lifted her head up and straightened up, walking over to them to give them hugs: "Look at you, it's been ages!" 

"Great to see you", Sirius smiled, accepting her hug and winking at Remus over her shoulder. Remus bit back his smile and turned to his father instead, while his mother, Sirius and James started catching up – Remus was sure she loved them just as much as she loved him, if not more, but he really didn't mind. If it gave Sirius a chance to feel the love of a mother, then it was worth it. And Euphemia Potter had always been like that towards Remus, too, so he really couldn't not be okay with it. 

"Hungry?" Remus asked his father, who had just hung his jacket onto the hook and taken off his shoes. 

"No, we ate in a restaurant near the train station – couldn't resist." 

"Oh, that's fine", Remus waved him off: "I wouldn't have had anything ready anyway, so–" 

"Mr Lupin", Sirius appeared at his side, reaching his hand forward to shake Remus's father's.

He laughed lightly, shaking Sirius' hand and patting him on the shoulder. "It's always been Lyall to you, Sirius", he said with a kind smile, and Remus had a hard time controlling his own. "How's the gym holding up?" 

"Oh, it's great", Sirius nodded: "Yeah, Marlene and I are really happy with how everything's turned out – Remus started going too, has he told you?" 

"Oh, no he hasn't", Lyall said in surprise, tilting his head to look at Remus: "Did you now?" 

Remus nodded a bit sheepishly, fighting the urge to slap Sirius for the smirk he had on his face. 

"Well, isn't that great", Lyall smiled, turning back to Sirius: "You're keeping him in shape, yeah?" 

"Oh, for sure", Sirius said brightly, while Remus nearly choked on his own breath, coughing vigorously. Sirius slammed him hard on the back a few times. "Alright there? Yeah, we did a workout just this morning, actually – completely drained afterwards." 

Remus blinked to stop his eyes from watering when he finally recovered from his coughing fit. 

"Are we going to get a tour of the place?" Lyall asked Sirius, who nodded immediately. 

"Oh, a hundred percent." 

"Wonderful – Hope, did you hear that?" 

"Hm?" Hope turned around from where she was laughing at something with James. 

"Sirius promised to give us a tour of his gym", Lyall explained, oblivious of the ongoing staring contest between his son and Sirius. 

"Oh, lovely!" Hope smiled, turning to look at Remus, who was forced to tear his eyes off Sirius and wipe the pointed glare off his face. "How's the school, dear? Are the kids alright?" 

"Yeah, they're awesome", Remus smiled: "Really love it there." 

"That's wonderful", she smiled fondly: "Well, I don't know about you lot, but I could do with a cup of tea!" 

They made their way into the kitchen, and Remus's mother started preparing the tea like she lived there. Remus let her, just because he knew how much she enjoyed fussing and hustling around. 

"Lovely flowers you've got here", she smiled as she spotted the vase on the counter: "Gorgeous colours." 

"They're for you", Remus said plainly, glancing at James, who was grinning widely. 

"For me?" Hope gasped: "Oh–" 

"From James." 

Hope turned to look at James with her eyes wide, then strode over and hugged him, reaching to ruffle his already messy hair. "You're too sweet", she smiled gently, then went to smell the flowers before returning to her task. 

"Bloody charmer", Sirius mumbled to James from the corner of his mouth, earning a smirk from both James and Remus. "It's on", he whispered. 

Remus snorted. It was quite endearing, seeing James and Sirius fight for the attention of his parents, even though he knew they didn't have to do anything to be adored by both Lyall and Hope – Sirius and James had charmed them the second they had stepped into the room the first time Remus had brought his friends home. Hope hadn't stopped talking about them for days. 

"James, dear, how are your parents?" she asked from the kettle she was in the middle of heating up. 

"They're good", James nodded, leaning against the counter: "Still working their bums off at the bakery." 

Remus had to bite the inside of his cheek to hide his amusement over James's subtle choice of words. Sirius looked like he was doing the exact same. 

"I'm glad to hear", Hope smiled: "And how's your brother, Sirius?" 

"He's fine. Busy", Sirius shrugged: "Still works at the pub." 

"Ah, I can imagine", she nodded. 

"We should all have dinner together", Remus said, reaching for a biscuit from the tin that had magically appeared on the counter, undoubtedly courtesy of Hope: "Book a table from that new restaurant that just opened across the street." 

"That sounds lovely", Hope turned around to smile at him: "Doesn't it, Lyall?" 

"Oh, yes", Lyall presumably snapped out of a daydream, for he looked around himself in bemusement. Remus laughed, and so did his mother. It wasn't too unusual for Lyall Lupin to get lost in his thoughts. "Hey, where's Peter?" he asked then. 

"Football practice", James offered. 

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "Why are _you_ not at football practice?" he asked. 

James shrugged. "This was more important." 

The look on Sirius's face was priceless. Remus had to turn around and start helping his mom with the teacups to hide the smirk on his face, though Sirius seemed to notice, because he cast a gloomy glance his way. James was grinning widely, seemingly happy about having successfully pissed Sirius off. 

"We should ask him to dinner, too", Hope said, oblivious about the scene around her: "And Lily, we didn't get a chance to see her the last time we visited! Remus, hand out the mugs, will you?" 

Remus helped her mother with the tea, and soon the five of them were seated around the kitchen table (that barely fit them all) and sipping on steaming hot tea – there was something about the way Hope Lupin brewed it that made Remus feel warm all over. 

"How are things back home?" he asked. 

"Nothing out of the ordinary", Lyall replied: "We got new neighbours last week, they've three small kids – puts a stop to the quiet of the street." 

Remus hummed in response. 

"I baked them a pie as a welcoming present", Hope put in. 

"Of course you did." 

"James, it was the recipe your mother gave me years back! Still one of our favourites – Lyall asks me to make it every now and then." 

"You should stop by at the bakery", James said: "We renovated it last summer, it looks quite different now." 

"Oh, we'd love to!" Hope nodded: "How about we take a little tour of the town tomorrow, visit the gym and the bakery?" She turned to glance at Remus and Lyall for confirmation. 

"Sounds good", Remus smiled: "Should I book a table at the restaurant for tomorrow then, too?" 

"Yeah, I'll text Mom to ask if she can make it", James said. 

"I'll ask Reggie", Sirius said and fished his phone out of his pocket. Remus nudged him with his toe under the table. 

"Ask Lachlan, too?" he suggested quietly: "Just, if he wants to come." 

Sirius nodded and started typing. 

"Mom said she's up for it", James lifted his head up and set his phone down on the table: "And Dad, too." 

"Wonderful", Hope clapped her hands together: "The more the merrier." 

***

"And voilà." 

"I don't understand why someone would put beetroot in a _hamburger_ ", Regulus said skeptically, hoisting his feet off the coffee table to sit up straight. 

"Don't knock it till you've tried it", Lachlan said, flopping down next to him on the couch. He picked up the bottle of wine he'd carried to the table and poured it into two tall glasses, sliding of them to Regulus and taking a sip from the other. 

"This is weird", Regulus said, picking up the plate from the table and turning around on the couch. He nudged Lachlan with his toe to indicate him to move his arms, then placed his feet in his lap. "Can't remember the last time we've had a shared day off." 

"Right?" Lachlan nodded, reaching for his own plate before nodding at the one in Regulus's hand: "Go on, give it a bite." 

Regulus cocked an eyebrow and picked the hamburger up, then bit into it and chewed thoughtfully while Lachlan watched his expression eagerly. Regulus swallowed the first bite and shrugged. "It's alright?" 

"Alright?" Lachlan opened his mouth in shock: " _Alright_? That's the bloody best thing you've had all week, just admit it." 

Regulus shrugged again, going for another bite. "It's a bit weird." 

"You British people are weird", Lachlan shook his head and bit into his own burger, making an exaggerated sound of satisfaction. Regulus laughed and poked him gently in the side with his foot. 

"Bloody loon." 

"Oi, I just cooked for you!" Lachlan scoffed and slapped him on the shin: "Show some gratitude." 

"Oh, I will", Regulus smirked and took another bite. It actually didn't taste half bad once you got over the initial shock. "After we're done eating." 

Lachlan snorted, shaking his head again. They finished their burgers and the sweet potato fries that Lachlan had crafted, then sipped on wine and enjoyed their lazy Wednesday afternoon – those were rare nowadays, Regulus thought, but at least Remus would be there to help at the pub from next week on. 

Lachlan set his wineglass on the coffee table, then reached over to take Regulus's from his hand and placed it down too. Regulus let him snake out from under his legs and scooted forward to lie on his back, stretching languidly. Lachlan crawled to lie on top of him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey", he smiled down at Regulus. 

"Hi", Regulus said, the corner of his mouth twitching up. Lachlan kissed him once on the lips, then tilted his head to the side and pressed his face into Regulus's shoulder. Regulus wrapped his arms around him, smiling to himself when Lachlan nuzzled his face deeper and let out a contented sigh. 

They lay like that for a while; Regulus stroked the hairs in Lachlan's neck, enjoying the overall warmth of his body pressed against him. "When did we get like this?" he asked quietly after a good few moments of silence. 

"Like what?" Lachlan asked against his shoulder. 

"Like this", Regulus reiterated, running his hands up and down Lachlan's sides: "We used to shag and run off, shag and run off..." 

"Why, you don't eat beetroot burgers, drink red wine and cuddle afterwards with all your shags?" 

"Oh yeah, cause I have so many", Regulus replied flatly: "This is exactly what I always do with them, just never on a _Wednesday_ afternoon."

Lachlan laughed, his whole body shaking with it. Regulus smiled and started absently fiddling with the necklace Lachlan was wearing. His phone beeped suddenly, but he was way too comfortable under Lachlan's weight to move and get it. 

"Do you want it?" Lachlan mumbled against his shirt. 

"Please." 

Lachlan shifted a little, reaching his hand blindly to the side to feel for Regulus's phone on the coffee table. He managed to nearly knock down his half-finished glass of wine in the process, but the white rug beneath the table was safe for now. 

"Thanks", Regulus said when Lachlan handed him the phone and settled back into his previous position. Regulus opened the screen and read the message he'd received. "Sirius asks me to dinner with them tomorrow – Remus's parents are in town." 

"That's nice." 

"He says you can come too if you want." 

Lachlan lifted his head and raised his brows pointedly at Regulus. "Will James be there?" 

"Probably." 

"I'll skip." 

"Come on", Regulus tilted his head pleadingly. 

"I don't really think I belong", Lachlan said lightly, patting Regulus's arm. 

"They invited you." 

"You think that was _Sirius's_ idea?" Lachlan raised a brow knowingly. Regulus sighed. Okay, yes, it was probably Remus's way of showing them his support, that much was clear. But still. 

"It could be fun", Regulus coaxed: "I don't really belong either, come be an outcast with me." 

"You're not an outcast", Lachlan tutted: "You've met his parents before, haven't you?" 

"Yeah, well, briefly." 

"Yeah, and you'll have your bloody brother there, and Remus... oh, and baker boy." 

"Stop", Regulus groaned. 

"Lover boy? What do you want me to call him?" 

"Don't call him anything, please", Regulus said flatly, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind Lachlan's ear. "Please..."

"I've work!" 

"You can come after that." 

"Reg, I really don't fancy the idea of intruding your family dinner." 

_Family dinner_. That made something shift inside Regulus; it made him feel warm and fidgety at the same time. 

"You wouldn't be intruding, you were invited. And besides, it's only dinner." 

"No", Lachlan shook his head and pressed his face back against Regulus' neck: "This is exactly how we ended up like this, Reg. It's 'only dinner' now, but next thing we know, you're flying to Australia with me to meet my parents, then all of a sudden we're getting married and buying a house somewhere in Canberra, only to realize we weren't meant to be and I never should have attended than dinner back in London on that random Thursday evening in July." 

"Oh, shut up", Regulus laughed. Lachlan lifted his head and grinned. He pushed onto one elbow and ran a hand down Regulus's stomach, smirking. 

"How about that act of gratitude now?" 

***

Hope and Lyall went to bed shortly after James had left, and they must have fallen asleep quickly, because the sound of Lyall snoring started in no time. Remus had given them his room for their stay, after having to reason for about a half-hour that the couch fit one person much better than two. So there he was, sitting on the couch with a mugful of tea and a blanket wrapped around him, Sirius's head leaning against his shoulder. They had a nature documentary on mute on the TV, though Remus really hadn't paid much attention to it. Sirius shifted a little beside him and tilted his head to look up at Remus. 

"You could just come and sleep in my room", he said quietly: "Sneak back here before they wake up." 

Remus smiled down at him but shook his head. "Too risky. What if they have to use the bathroom at night and notice I'm not here?" 

Sirius sighed and settled back in. "You're right." 

Remus set his mug on the coffee table and brought his hand to Sirius's cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. Sirius smiled contently and closed his eyes. 

"Or I could just fall asleep here and we could pretend it was an accident", he mumbled sleepily, and Remus laughed. 

"If you want to", he whispered and pressed a kiss on top of Sirius's head. 

" _Or_... we could just tell them", Sirius continued, his voice barely a whisper anymore. Remus straightened up a little. 

"Sirius..." 

"They know about _you_ ", Sirius said, lifting his head up and turning to look at Remus: "Would it be so terrible if they knew about _us_ , too?" 

Remus stared at him at a loss for words. He would love that, of course he would, but–

"You're not... out", he said, bemused. Sirius shrugged and gave him a faint smile. 

"It's quite abstract, isn't it?" he asked: "A vague construct. And if there's someone I want knowing about it, it's them." 

Remus breathed in, then out, and then ducked forward to kiss Sirius directly on the lips. Sirius laughed lightly into the kiss, pulled away and smiled at Remus. "Is that a yes, then?" 

"God, _yes_ ", Remus breathed. His heart was pounding, but he had to reel himself back a little. "Are you sure?" he asked, fumbling for Sirius's hand under the blanket. 

"I'm sure, Remus", Sirius nodded, and even though he was smiling, Remus could see the trepidation in his eyes. 

"It'll be okay", Remus reassured him, pulling him into a hug. "Only if you want to." 

"I want to", Sirius laughed softly, sounding relieved, and wrapped his arms tight around Remus: "I really do." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the love and your sweet comments continue to astound me, I can't thank you all enough. :')


	10. Chapter 10

Sirius had already left for work when Remus woke up on the couch the next morning. They had ended up sleeping separately, deciding it was best they actually tell his parents instead of letting them find out like that and causing an awkward scene. 

Remus stretched along the length of the couch, pushed his duvet aside and sat up. He reached for his phone on the table, unlocked it and found two messages from Sirius: 

_At the gym. If you guys want to grab lunch with me and then come check the place up?_

_Nervous as fuck_

Remus smiled, sent him a confirmation text for the lunch plans and a heart for the second text, then clicked his phone shut and set it back on the coffee table. His half-finished mug of tea was still sitting there, and he went into the kitchen to dump that and brew a new pot. The footsteps and muffled speech coming from his room indicated that his parents had also waken up, or maybe they had been waiting for him to get up before exiting the bedroom. Remus started on a pot of coffee, too, and went into the bathroom while those were brewing. 

Hope was in the kitchen when he reentered, rummaging through a cupboard in search of breakfast supplies. 

"Morning", Remus yawned, walking over to the cupboard over the sink to pull out three mugs. 

"Good morning", Hope smiled at him: "Forgive me for intruding your kitchen." 

"Go for it", Remus smiled and went to pour tea for himself and his mother and coffee for his father. "Sleep well?" 

"Very", Hope nodded, then gave him an apologetic look: "We're fine with taking the couch if you want your room back." 

"It's fine", Remus waved him off: "It's only for a couple of nights." 

"Is Sirius already at work?" 

"Yeah, he asked if we wanted to grab lunch with him. We could go visit the gym after that", Remus said, suddenly feeling butterflies in his stomach. They'd decided to wait until tomorrow to break the news, or maybe after dinner tonight, depending on what seemed best in the moment. 

"Sounds great", Hope hummed, cracking eggs into the pan she had heated up. Remus smiled to himself; if there was one thing he had particularly missed about having his parents around, it was Hope's cooking. Her breakfast, especially. That reminded him of something. 

"Full English tomorrow?" he asked, planting a kiss on his mother's cheek: "Sirius has the morning off and he made me vow that I'd ask you to cook us your famous breakfast. We'll help, of course." 

"Oh, it's _my_ _famous_ _breakfast_ now?" Hope laughed, nudging him with her shoulder: "Of course, honey. Anything for you two." 

Remus felt himself flush at that, and the butterflies came back even more restless than before. 

"Thanks, Mom", he choked out and attempted a normal smile, but he was pretty sure he only managed to look awkward. If she noticed something odd about his behaviour, she didn't say so. 

Lyall entered the kitchen just then, yawning grandly, and gaily accepted the cup of coffee Remus handed towards him. "Thank you", he ruffled Remus's hair and placed a kiss on Hope's head, then went to sit at the table. Remus joined him with his tea while Hope continued hustling around the kitchen. The sound of bacon and eggs sizzling on the pan filled the room and Remus inhaled the homely scent. He really ought to have his parents visit them more often, he thought, for once a year at best was definitely not enough. If only money wasn't a problem. 

They spent the rest of the morning in a lazy manner, watching TV and doing more catching up. At about an hour until lunchtime they left to go to a few shops in town, then headed to meet Sirius at the lunch spot he had requested. 

Sirius was already sitting at a table and waved at them cheerfully when they entered the place. Remus had never been there, but apparently it was known for its soups, according to Sirius and James – they called themselves local culinary experts, humbly. They sat down and waited for the waitress to come and take their order, then chattered about anything and everything while they waited for their food to arrive. 

"Oh, this is lovely", Hope hummed as she tasted the creamy salmon soup they had all ordered. Lyall nodded in confirmation. It really was delicious, confirmed by the fact that none of them spoke another word before their plates were empty. 

"Busy morning, Sirius?" Lyall asked after they'd all finished and the waitress came to collect their dishes. Sirius shook his head, stretching back on his chair. 

"Nothing out of the ordinary", he said finally: "Got an hour before the next client, too, so I'm in no rush – should we pop by at the pub before we head to the gym? I'm not sure if Regulus is working today." 

"Sounds like a plan", Hope nodded, hoisting herself up: "Shall we get going, then?" 

They left the restaurant and walked a few streets over to the pub. A horrible sinking feeling hit Remus the second he opened the door and saw Lachlan behind the counter, and he could only hope Regulus had filled him in on the details of the situation. He still hadn't had time to tell Sirius about getting the job. Or even about applying for it. 

"Remus!" Lachlan lifted his hand in greeting: "Hey, Sirius! And you must be Mr and Mrs Lupin?" He gave a warm smile and reached over the bar to shake Hope and Lyall's hands, much to their delight. 

"This is Lachlan", Remus explained to his parents with a smile. He turned back to Lachlan and asked: "Is Reg here?" 

"Nah, day off. Can I get you guys anything?" 

"We're good, I think. We just had lunch", Hope smiled kindly: "You have the sweetest accent, I must say." 

Lachlan laughed brightly, then started a lively conversation with her while Lyall took a self-guided tour of the place. "Is this where you played that gig?" he asked over his shoulder and pointed at the stage in the corner. 

"Open-mic, and we played about five songs", Remus corrected in amusement: "But yes, that's it." 

The staff door opened behind them just then, and Remus's stomach did a somersault as he heard a familiar voice speak. 

"Remus, perfect!" Annie said from the door: "Do you have a minute? We could go over the employment contract." 

Remus turned around slowly, glanced at Lachlan, who winced, and then at Sirius, whose gaze was flicking between the three of them. 

"The what?" he asked incredulously, turning to face Remus. Annie frowned from the doorway, and Remus wished he could simply disappear through the floor. 

"Sirius, I meant to tell you..." 

"What's going on?" Hope stepped a little closer from the bar: "Is everything okay?" 

Remus shut his eyes and sighed, then turned to speak to Annie first: "I've a bit of time now, if you can wait just a sec?" 

"For sure, it shouldn't take longer than ten minutes anyway. Just come to the back when you've... explained the situation", she smiled encouragingly, seemingly having caught up on the ongoing situation. 

"Thank you", Remus smiled faintly, then turned to Sirius again. "I'm really sorry, I was supposed to tell you but it all happened so quickly and I wanted to do it when we were alone and– sorry." He sighed, working to keep his voice steady: "But I got the job and I really need it, and that's why I'm going to take it." 

Sirius stared at him for a moment with and unreadable expression, then nodded stiffly. "Okay", he said plainly: "We'll talk about it later, you should get to the back. She's waiting for you." 

Remus swallowed and fought the urge to snap at him. "Okay", he breathed, turning to his parents next: "I'm starting here next week–" 

"Next _week_?" Sirius interrupted, huffing an incredulous laugh: "Jeez, that _is_ quick." 

"Later", Remus pleaded, raising his brows at him, and then turned back to his parents: "I'm starting next week, I need the extra money to pay rent. Filch keeps asking for more and more." 

"Oh honey, why didn't you say anything?" Hope asked right away, eyes full of worry. Remus bit his lip and shook his head. 

"I didn't want to worry you – it's fine, honestly, I just need a bit more than I'm getting from the school, and it's not like I'd have anything to do all summer anyway, so... but I really should go, I don't want to keep Annie waiting. Be right back." He gave a small smile and then hurried towards the staff door and stumbled through it. Annie was waiting in the back room with an apologetic smile on her face. 

"They didn't know?" 

"No, I hadn't told them yet", Remus breathed and gave a small smile in return: "But it's alright." 

"I'm sorry", Annie said, gesturing at the chair in front of her. 

"It's fine, you didn't know", Remus waved her off, hoping he came off more calm than he felt: "Would have had to tell them over the weekend anyway, so it's no biggie – and I've been meaning to thank you. I really need the job." 

"Don't worry about it", Annie shook her head, reaching for a pile of papers and a pen: "We just have a few things to go through and sign, and then you're good to start next week – how does Monday sound?" 

"Perfect", Remus nodded quickly. 

"Great", she said, turned to face him properly and gave him a kind smile. "And honestly, Remus, there's no one I'd rather hire than you, I know you're hardworking and reliable – I'm sure you'll fit into the team perfectly." 

Remus smiled at her sheepishly, and although he was dreading having to face Sirius later, he felt a tad calmer than he had just five minutes ago. 

***

Remus returned to the pub no more than ten minutes later, clutching his freshly signed employment contract in his hand. He flashed a smile to his parents and Lachlan, but Sirius was looking pointedly at the poster on one of the walls and didn't even flinch when Remus said they should get a move on. 

"Are you coming to dinner?" Remus asked Lachlan right before they left. 

Lachlan sucked air in through his teeth. "Can't, sorry", he said, gesturing to the bar: "I'm tied up." 

Remus nodded and gave a small smile, shrugging his shoulder. "Next time, yeah?" 

Lachlan smiled and waved at them as they exited the pub and started towards the gym across the street. 

"Great spot you managed to snatch", Lyall said brightly to Sirius, and Remus was grateful that at least he wasn't being a prick to his parents. Like Sirius ever would be a prick to them. 

"Yeah, we were lucky", he smiled, squinting against the sunlight. They were walking ahead of Remus and his mom; she tucked at his sleeve and gave him a silent request to stay back. 

"Honey, was Sirius not aware of the job thing?" she asked, frowning. 

Remus sighed. "No. I hadn't told him yet – I swear I was going to, literally any moment now, but... well, he took it exactly like I expected him to." 

"And _why_ is he upset?" Hope frowned: "Why didn't you tell him you applied?" 

"It's... it's a really stupid thing, Mom", Remus said, not exactly keen on telling his mother about the whole Sirius-secretly-paying-his-rent-thing. That was still a bit of a sore subject, and if he was honest, he didn't need another person telling him Sirius was only trying to help. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him." 

"Okay", she nodded and thankfully dropped the subject. They continued walking and soon reached the gym, where Sirius and Lyall were waiting for them outside. Sirius held the door open for them, and Remus got in last, purposefully slowing down as he passed Sirius. 

"I _was_ going to tell you", he whispered. 

"Were you?" Sirius returned coldly, not quite meeting his eyes. Remus sighed and blinked slowly in frustration. 

"Please don't sulk", he begged: "You said it yourself, it's not nice for anyone if we're fighting–" 

"Sirius!" Lyall beckoned him over from inside the gym, where he and Hope had evidently met Marlene. Remus bit his lip and gave Sirius one more apologetic look, but his attempt at making amends was ignored. Sirius walked past him and put on a charming smile as he started touring Remus's parents around the gym. 

"You don't fancy taking a look around the magnificent sights?" Marlene grinned from behind the front desk when Remus stayed glued to his spot. 

"He's mad at me", Remus replied glumly: "I'll let them enjoy their tour without the risk of World War III starting." 

Marlene laughed, shaking her head. "He can be fiery when he's pissed off." 

"Trust me, I know", Remus sighed, leaning onto the counter. They chatted for a bit, until the three others returned from their tour, all smiling and laughing at something. Sirius excused himself after a few minutes, saying he'd meet them at the flat after work, and then Remus and his parents left to go to the bakery. 

"Hello there!" James boomed when they stepped in. His apron was covered in flour and his hair was even messier than usual, but somehow he still managed to look charming for the customers. He strode over to the back door and called out: "Mom! Dad! Come say hi." 

Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were the type of people you thought of when someone said the word 'loving'. They were well over the age of Remus's parents, both had their fair share of grey sticking out from the rest of their hair and they had the warmest smiles Remus had possibly ever seen. James was lucky to have them, Remus was lucky to have them, and most of all, Sirius was lucky to have them. After a not-so-easy childhood and the death of his parents on top of that, Sirius had been accepted into the Potter family without hesitation. Remus would forever be grateful for that, because no matter how stubborn he was, Sirius deserved the world and nothing less. 

"It's so good to see you", Euphemia was saying, giving affectionate hugs to both Hope and Lyall. Fleamont shook their hands and smiled his signature bright smile, the one that James had inherited from him. 

"Great to see you too – you'll be joining us for dinner, no?" 

"Yes, looking forward to that", Euphemia smiled: "James, will you take over in the kitchen for a bit?" 

James nodded, dropping the cloth he had in his hand, and beckoned Remus to follow him to the back. Remus was glad to skip the catching up their parents were doing in the other room, and watched from the side as James hustled around the kitchen, stirring this and that, checking the oven every now and then, and inevitably making a huge mess. 

"Will Lachlan be at dinner?" he asked, starting to knead some sort of dough on one of the counters. 

"No, he said he's working", Remus replied, leaning onto a cupboard: "Do you need help?" 

James looked up from over his glasses and shook his head, smiling. "Not much you can do right now." 

"Good", Remus huffed a laugh: "Really hoped you'd say that." 

James laughed, flopping the dough around and starting again. "It's not that hard once you get the hang of it", he shrugged: "I was shit at first, but Mom's trained me well." 

Remus smiled. James, who played football and went to the gym religiously, didn't look like the type of guy that would work at a bakery. And yet, Remus couldn't come up with a job better suitable for him. 

"I'm starting at the pub next week", Remus said after a moment of silence; might as well just tell everyone, now. 

"Oh?" James looked up again, surprised. 

"Yeah..." Remus said thoughtfully, glancing up at the ceiling: "Signed the contract today." 

"The school's okay with it?" 

"Yeah, I spoke to Arthur about it – the headmaster", Remus said: "He said he didn't see a problem with it. And it's only for the summer, so." 

"Well, that's nice", James nodded, and Remus wanted to hug him for not asking any questions. 

"It is", he smiled. 

"Are you nervous?" 

"A little, I guess", Remus shrugged: "It helps that I know everyone there, and I suppose I'll catch on quickly." 

"I'm sure you will", James smiled at him. 

"Remus! Come taste this carrot cake, it's heavenly!" Hope's voice came from inside the bakery. Remus huffed a laugh and turned to grin at James. 

"See you tonight?" 

"Yeah, see you", James said and waved a floury hand at him. Remus strode out of the kitchen and back into the bakery. 

"This is simply delicious, Euphemia", Hope was saying eagerly: "I'm going to need to ask you for the recipe!" 

***

"Could you please listen to me?" Remus said crankily as he did the buttons on his shirt. Sirius finished tying his shoelaces with unnecessary rage, then stood up and raised his hands in the air expectantly. 

"Talk, then", he said. 

"I don't understand why you're being a prat about this when you literally went behind my back last week–" 

"Oh, won't you forget about that already?" Sirius groaned. 

"No, because this is ridiculous!" Remus gushed, reaching for his tie: " _You're_ being ridiculous!" 

"I didn't know you were looking for a new job." 

"I told you I would." 

"Not at the pub." 

"That just happened to be my best option", Remus said reasonably, fighting to keep his voice calm: "I don't see why you're upset about it." 

"Maybe because a few days ago you told me I ought to tell you about _stuff like this_ ", Sirius returned snappily: "Yet here you are, doing the complete opposite." 

"This is different", Remus gushed incredulously: "This has nothing to do with _you_!" 

"Whatever", Sirius mumbled, shaking his head. He went over to one of the dressers in search of a tie. He evidently found one suitable enough, slammed the drawer shut more loudly than he really needed to, and walked over to the mirror to start tying it. "Fucking..." he muttered under his breath, fumbling with the knot and starting again. Remus watched from the side for a moment, barely bothering to conceal his amusement. 

"Let me", he said after Sirius's third failed attempt, walked over to him and took the tie from him. He turned Sirius around to face him and flung the tie around his neck, then started tying it as neatly as he could. Sirius was looking anywhere but his eyes. 

"There", Remus said, patting the tie against Sirius's chest. 

"Thanks", Sirius murmured so quietly that Remus wasn't sure if he'd imagined it, and then went to put on his watch without so much as glancing at Remus. 

"Please don't ruin dinner", Remus said, unbothered, and eager to just drop the subject for now. Sirius froze for a second, eyes fixed on the watch he was putting around his wrist, and gave a tight nod. That was enough for Remus for now; they could settle the matter at a more convenient time. As long as they weren't ruining dinner for all of them. They knew how to act civil around others, at least. 

The restaurant was packed when they got there, and Remus was happy he'd made the reservation beforehand. "A table for ten. Lupin", he said to the waitress, and they were led into a private booth at the back of the restaurant. They ordered their drinks and waited for James and his parents, Peter, Lily and Regulus to arrive. Remus's attempt at sitting as far away from Sirius as possible proved futile, as he got seated between his father and Sirius. 

Regulus arrived soon after that, receiving an excited hug from Hope, no matter that they'd only met once before. He shared a swift glance with Remus, who shook his head inconspicuously – no, they weren't talking. Yes, Sirius was mad at him. Regulus gave a painful gurn and took the seat next to his brother. 

James and his parents came next, then Lily, and finally Peter. Remus watched from his spot as his parents greeted them eagerly, then settled back down and started going through the menu. 

"It's so good to see you again, Regulus", Euphemia said after they had ordered, turning in her seat to talk past James, who was sitting on Regulus' right-hand side: "I just said to James the other day how often we used to see you at one point." 

Regulus gave an awkward smile, seemingly uncertain about how to answer. 

"Stop guilt-tripping him into coming over", James laughed, taking a sip of wine: "He'll come by when he wants to." 

"Oh, of course", Euphemia said apologetically: "I just miss seeing you around, that's all." 

"I'll be better", Regulus smiled, glancing at James. 

"You're going to be working with Remus, then, Regulus?" Hope leaned over to participate in conversation. 

"Yeah, that's right", Regulus nodded, giving a tentative smile. Sirius banged his glass to the table then, scooting back on his chair. 

"Excuse me", he gave a strained smile, stood up and disappeared in the direction of the restrooms. Remus let out a huff of air and leaned his elbow to the table. If someone had been yet to notice their ongoing pique, they were certainly aware of it now. 

Sirius didn't come back until the food had already arrived, and when he did, he didn't look in the mere direction of Remus. Had they not been in a crowded restaurant and surrounded by family, Remus would have lost his temper in a millisecond. 

They started eating in awkward silence, but that was soon forgotten about as James and Remus's parents picked up where they'd left off earlier that day at the bakery. Lily, Peter and James were speaking about something on the other side of the table, and Regulus was muttering something to Sirius under his breath. Whatever it was, it must have pounded some sense into Sirius, because after a moment, he turned to Remus and nodded at the door. 

"Can we talk?" he asked politely, and Remus knew Regulus had forced him into this. But he didn't care. 

"Yes", he nodded, pushed his empty plate aside and lifted himself up. "Fresh air", he explained briefly to the others, and then they exited the table. Outside in the dimming night, Remus wrapped his arms around himself to fight the cold and waited for Sirius to talk. 

"I shouldn't be mad at you", he started, and Remus nodded, "but I am." 

Well. 

"Or not _mad_ , I suppose, but... annoyed?" 

"Annoyed", Remus repeated blankly. 

"Yes. I really would have liked for you to tell me about it before you applied", he continued slowly, like he had practised this in his head over and over again: "But I understand why you didn't." 

"Sirius, it was so uncertain whether I'd even get the spot, that's why I didn't say anything", Remus said, eager to finally stop fighting. 

"I know, but still", Sirius said tentatively: "I just... well, you went to Reg." 

"You were still mad at me! That night at the pub, the charity thing – it wasn't to get revenge, Sirius, I simply needed the job. I _need_ it." 

"I know, okay?" Sirius sighed: "Shit, I was so happy about telling your parents last night and..." 

Remus's stomach dropped. Did Sirius not want to tell anymore? Were they back in square one? 

"We can still do it", Remus said hurriedly, reaching to grab Sirius's arm: "Sirius, I'd love to tell them..." 

Sirius observed him carefully for a moment, and then his face softened a little and he nodded. "We'll tell them", he said: "Tonight." 

"Okay", Remus breathed, smiling nervously: "Fuck, I wish the night was over already – I want them to know." 

"Me too", Sirius smiled: "I'm sorry for being an asshole, I just... you work so hard. _Too_ hard. You shouldn't have to work two jobs." 

"Sirius, drop it, please", Remus pleaded: "It's decided, and I really don't mind." 

"Okay", Sirius complied, though reluctantly. 

"Good", Remus nodded: "Let's get back inside." 

***

"Regulus, you absolutely have to come by soon", Euphemia said, hugging him in goodbye: "Otherwise I'll have to ask James to drag you into the bakery." 

Regulus laughed, hugging her back. He was starting to understand why Sirius had always been much happier at the Potters'. 

"Now, now, come on", Fleamont patted his wife on the shoulder: "Let's go ring a cab, shall we? Regulus, it was good to see you again." 

"You too, Mr Potter", Regulus smiled, then watched them exit the pub. He felt very aware of the fact that it was just him and James in the booth now, and he was more nervous than he would've liked to admit. 'Turn around and kiss him, you bloody wuss', Lachlan's voice said in his head, but he wasn't that daring. He really wished he was, though. 

"They love you." 

Regulus whipped his head around. James was leaning onto the wall casually, an easy grin on his face. 

"Don't know about love..." Regulus gave a sheepish smile, finding the pockets of his trousers for something to steady his hands. 

"They do", James nodded: "Trust me." 

Regulus shrugged, overwhelmed by the statement. Not many people had said that to him. Ever. "I really ought to stop by soon", he said, biting his lip to control his smile: "Your Mom's not playing around." 

"I told you", James smirked, shaking his head. The blue white-dotted button-up he was wearing would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, Regulus thought, but it was so perfectly James. 

"Did you hear about Remus?" he asked then, because the silence felt torturing somehow. 

James nodded: "He told me earlier today. Good for him, right?" 

"Yeah, absolutely", Regulus nodded and they fell into silence again. He really wished Lachlan was there, now, if only to diffuse the tension. Maybe James wasn't sensing it, but Regulus most certainly was. 

"I should go, they're probably waiting", James said then, straightening up. Regulus nodded stiffly and stepped aside to let James past him. "See you around", he smiled, and his hand brushed against Regulus's hip as he inched past him in the narrow doorway. Maybe it was by accident, but Regulus could have sworn James's hand stayed there a little longer than was absolutely necessary. 

"See you", Regulus choked out, kicking himself internally. Fucking gutless, he was. What a perfect opportunity that would have been. Imaginary Lachlan was right. 

***

Sirius was sitting on the single armchair, Remus's parents on the mismatching couch. The TV was on, some old black and white mute film he didn't recognize. Sirius looked up when he entered the room, and Remus felt he could throw up. Which didn't really make sense, given that his parents had known about him being gay for years now. Maybe he was nervous for Sirius, who was looking paler than usual, drumming his fingers against the armrest anxiously. 

Remus walked over to stand behind him, gripping the back of the armchair to keep his hands from shaking. Sirius glanced up at him, swallowed and nodded. 

"Mom? Dad?" Remus started with a quivery voice. 

"Mm?" Hope hummed absently, eyes set on the TV. 

"Could we... talk?" 

Both his parents turned to look at him curiously, and when he didn't start talking right away, his mother frowned. "Is everything okay?" she asked, worried. 

_God, I hope so_ , Remus thought to himself. 

Sirius was sitting stiffly, staring at Remus's parents with wide eyes. Remus swallowed, made his way around the armchair and sat down on the armrest next to Sirius. He could hear Sirius's rapid, uneven breathing and practically felt him shake next to him. All of a sudden he wasn't so sure Sirius still wanted to tell them. 

"We're..." he started again, hesitating. Sirius let out a shaky breath and Remus needed confirmation he could go on with the plan. Eyes still firmly set on his parents, he inched his hand closer to Sirius's, gently so that Sirius could pull away if he wanted to. Remus's heart fluttered when he didn't; he laced their fingers together, placed their intertwined hands on Sirius's thigh and waited. 

Hope's eyes flicked to their hands, stayed there for a second, and then moved back to meet Remus's eyes. "I don't understand", she said quietly. 

"We're together", Remus finally said it, for the first time ever. Sirius's hand relaxed in his. "Sirius and I, we're... together." 

"Oh", was what came out from both Hope and Lyall's mouths. They sat still, observing them quietly, and Remus could feel Sirius's pulse pick up again. Remus gripped his hand tighter, but he knew what was going through Sirius's head. This ultimately wasn't the reaction they'd hoped for. 

"So... yeah", Remus said when he could no longer bear the silence. 

"Well, that's wonderful", Hope blurted out, eyes flicking between the two of them, and broke into a smile: "I'm so happy to hear." 

"You are?" Sirius choked out. 

"Of course", Hope said, pressing her hands against her knees and pushing herself up. She took a few steps forward and opened her arms wide. Remus let go of Sirius's hand and pushed at his shoulder to guide him to stand up. Hope wrapped her arms around Sirius, who was too bemused to react in any way. He just stood there and let himself be embraced. Hope then turned to Remus and pulled him up for a hug too, whispering 'this is wonderful' quietly into his ear. Remus smiled. It _was_ wonderful. 

"Guess no one has to sleep on the couch tonight, then?" Lyall said with a grin, pulling Remus into a hug on his turn. He let go of him and turned to Sirius, who was looking even more startled now, and spread his arms out. Sirius gave him a clumsy hug, looking like a lost puppy. Remus ducked his head and sniffed, wiping his eyes quickly. He really had had no reason to expect anything different from his parents, but he still felt relieved. Lighthearted. He just wanted to be alone with Sirius now. 

"Are you alright, darling?" Hope placed a gentle hand on Sirius's arm. Sirius nodded mutely, giving half a smile, and Hope pulled him in for another hug, stroking his hair and quietly whispering: "I'm so proud of you." Hearing that made Sirius relax visibly: he let out a deep breath, dropped his shoulders and hugged her back wholeheartedly. Remus felt his father's hand on his shoulder and looked back, returning the smile on Lyall's face. Suddenly Remus wanted to shout it from the rooftops. But that wouldn't be a fair way for their friends to find out, he reasoned. 

"We need to be alone", he said then, surprising even himself. Not that he really cared in that moment. He grabbed Sirius's hand and started pulling him towards the bedroom that wasn't currently taken by his parents. "You're the best, love you", he called out to them over his shoulder, and Hope laughed. Sirius let himself be pulled out of the living room. Once inside Sirius's bedroom, Remus slammed the door shut and turned to look at Sirius. 

"Holy shit", Sirius whispered, crashing into Remus and hugging him tighter than ever before. 

Remus pulled away from him after a minute, grabbed him by the shoulders and looked deep into those grey eyes. 

"Are you okay?" 

A wide smile formed on Sirius's face. "Fucking brilliant." 

Remus laughed and wrapped his arms around him again. "We did it", he breathed into Sirius's shoulder: "You fucking did it." 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another (long) chapter – hope you enjoy. 
> 
> CW: VIOLENT HOMOPHOBIC BEHAVIOUR

"Sleep okay?"

"Mmmh", Sirius hummed, stretching languidly over the length of his bed. The sheets were wrinkled and the duvet had been kicked to their feet, which always seemed to happen with Sirius. Their legs were tangled together and with the sunlight peeking in through the curtains, Remus could have stayed like that forever. He brought his right arm to use as a pillow and watched in awe the way Sirius's chest was rising and falling with each breath, the loose strands of hair on his face wavering with the gentle streams of air.

Sirius tilted his head, opened one eye to look at Remus, then shut it again and smiled.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked. Remus, caught off guard, shrugged his shoulders against the mattress and pushed onto one elbow.

"I'm really proud of you", he whispered.

"Look at you being all soppy", Sirius grinned, laughing when Remus gave him a gentle slap on the chest. He left his hand there, drawing soft lines along Sirius's collarbone.

"I am, though", he said then, quietly, and Sirius's smile softened: "How do you feel about it all?"

"I'm..." Sirius started, frowning a little as he searched for words: "Surprisingly good. Calm."

Remus smiled, even though he knew Sirius couldn't see, and grazed his thumb across Sirius's lower lip. "That's good to hear", he whispered softly. Sirius remained with his eyes closed, looking perfectly restful, and let out a contented sigh, which Remus caught in a kiss.

Sirius hummed appreciatively, finding Remus's jaw with his fingers and tilting his head to find a better position. They moved their lips against each other in a slow, leisurely pace, and even then Remus found himself breathless. Would it always be like this with Sirius? Surely. He kept taking Remus's breath away in new ways every day.

"Boys!" Hope's muffled voice came from down the hall: "We're heading into town for a few hours, there's breakfast in the kitchen!"

Remus could feel Sirius grinning against his lips and pulled away to meet his eyes. Sirius raised his brows, bit his lip and glanced down at their underwear-clad bodies, and that just about did it for Remus.

"Thanks!" he managed to call out before Sirius's lips were already back on his, moving hurriedly and with more vigour now. The front door slammed shut and Sirius pushed himself up and wrestled Remus onto his back, pressing their bodies together without delay. Remus groaned a little at the sudden pressure and leaned his head back when Sirius's lips found his neck and Adam's apple.

It somehow felt more unfettered to Remus than it had ever before, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. There were now two more people in the world who knew about him and Sirius – two less people to keep it a secret from. It wasn't a lot, but at the same time, it was everything.

Afterwards, sweaty and pressed flush against Remus's back, Sirius cleared his throat and tapped his finger absently on Remus's bare shoulder.

"What's up?" Remus asked, turning his head to get a glimpse of Sirius. He was smiling softly and pressed his palm gently against Remus's shoulder, running it up and down his arm a few times. "What?" Remus laughed, snaked away from Sirius's hold and turned to face him, mirroring his position.

"Who should we tell next?" Sirius asked softly, bringing his hand to Remus's hip now and drawing irregular patterns on his skin with his forefinger.

Remus's heart jumped a little – Sirius wanted to tell others now, too? That made excitement bubble in his stomach. Remus wanted _everyone_ to know, he didn't care who'd be next. But then again...

"Maybe Regulus?" he suggested tentatively. Sirius's hand stilled and his eyes snapped to Remus's, panicked. "It's just", Remus hurried to say, "he's your brother and... I don't know, I feel like he should know before the others?"

Sirius shifted slightly, pulling his hand away from Remus and crossing it over his chest. "Yeah, maybe", he said timidly.

"Or Lils?" Remus said then, because Sirius looked like he was going to close off, and Remus didn't want that.

"No, I think you're right", Sirius said slowly, worrying his lower lip: "But I think I need to tell Reg myself. Alone." He glanced up at Remus again, eyes glassy and trepid.

"Of course", Remus shook his head, inching closer to Sirius on the bed: "Whatever you feel like – I'll be there if you want me to, but if you feel like you should do it alone..."

Sirius nodded, giving half a smile. Remus smiled back at him reassuringly, then brought his hand onto Sirius's cheek and let out a deep breath.

"I love you", he said both gently and firmly so that Sirius knew he meant it. And he did mean it: he had never meant anything he'd said before as much as this. Sirius blinked at him.

"I love you too", he breathed, breaking into a surprised smile. Remus breathed a laugh, wrapped his arms around Sirius and pulled him close to his chest.

"I love you, I love you, I love you", he repeated, pressing kisses to Sirius's cheeks and jaw, because now that he had said it, it felt like the clearest thing in the world. Sirius laughed, cupped Remus's face firmly with his hands and crashed their lips together.

The kiss went on for what felt like hours, until Sirius pulled away to gasp for air. He grinned, placed one more gentle kiss on Remus's lips, then swept a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Breakfast?" he asked, and Remus nodded. It would look a bit suspicious if they hadn't touched any of it before his parents came back from town. Sirius put on a pair of sweatpants and handed another pair to Remus, who pulled them on and then followed him out of the room.

Hope had kept her promise: there was a full English breakfast waiting for them in the kitchen; Remus flicked the stove on to reheat it all, then went ahead and started brewing them a pot of tea. Sirius disappeared into the bathroom and came back five minutes later with his hair wet, a towel slung over his shoulder. He walked over to Remus and wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his chin on Remus's shoulder.

"Smells delicious", he said, tilting his head to press a long, soft kiss to Remus's neck.

"It does", Remus hummed in agreement, closing his eyes for a second as Sirius kept moving his lips against the skin of Remus's neck and shoulders. His hair was dripping water, the droplets rolling down Remus's back and making him shiver. Sirius laughed, pulled away and dried the water off with his towel before flinging it to the floor and returning to his previous position, placing his hands on the counter on either side of Remus's body. Remus suddenly found the simple task of reheating bacon and eggs extremely difficult, what with Sirius pressed hard against him.

"We're going to burn the house down", Remus pointed out, fighting to hide the strain in his voice.

"Mm?" Sirius hummed brightly. He reached his hand to Remus's front and turned the stove off, then moved to stroke Remus over the fabric of his sweatpants. Remus let out a choked breath, leaning his head back to rest against Sirius's shoulder while he swayed them together languidly.

"The food's getting cold", he whispered into Remus's ear, flicked the stove back on and then he was gone, rummaging through a cupboard for mugs and plates.

"You're evil", Remus huffed painfully, picked the spatula back up and started stirring the bacon on the pan. Sirius sent him a wink and went to set the table, whistling a cheerful tune.

Remus finished heating up the breakfast and took the pan to the table while Sirius made them toast and poured the tea. They sat opposite each other and quietly enjoyed the deliciousness that was Hope's cooking.

"Do you think Regulus will understand?" Sirius asked suddenly, mouth full of scrambled eggs. Remus set his fork and knife down and frowned.

"Why wouldn't he?" he asked carefully, scooting forward on his chair to link his ankles with Sirius's.

"He might not", Sirius shrugged, downed the mouthful with a sip of water and then leaned back on his chair, biting his lip thoughtfully: "Mom and Dad weren't– well, you can imagine. Reg spent a lot more time with them, is all, and he may not... I don't know. He'd never say it out loud, but how do I know if he's actually okay with it or not?"

Remus stared back and wished more than anything that he could tell Sirius about what he'd accidentally witnessed that night in the hallway of their flat.

"I'm sure he'll understand", Remus said evenly. It was comical, really, that he'd had the same conversation with Regulus _about Sirius_.

Sirius shrugged again: "How do you know?" 

"I don't", Remus lied: "But you'll never know either, unless you tell him. And it doesn't matter what he thinks, does it?"

"No", Sirius gave a small nod: "You're right." He picked up what was left of his toast and scooped the last of his beans with it, shoved it into his mouth and stood up. "Are you done?" he asked, reaching a hand out. Remus nodded and handed his plate for Sirius to take into the kitchen.

"I'll go take a shower", Remus said, hoisting himself up and starting towards the bathroom: "I'll help you clean up after." Sirius nodded from where he was already running the tap.

When Remus exited the bathroom ten minutes later, having slipped back into Sirius's sweatpants, he found the kitchen already very much clean and sorted. The TV was on in the living room, and he made his way there. Sirius was sitting on the couch, legs splayed out in front of him, leaning back against the armrest. He looked up from the TV and smiled at Remus as he entered the room.

Remus settled between Sirius's legs, leaning his back against his chest. Sirius wrapped his arms around him and pressed a few kisses to the side of Remus's neck. Remus closed his eyes and let himself relax against Sirius's body. Even after the perfect night's sleep he had had, he felt himself drift into a state of near unconsciousness.

The bang of the front door brought him back to present time a few moments later, and he automatically flinched up as he heard his parents' voices from the hallway. He tried to push Sirius's arms off from around him, but Sirius pulled him back against his chest. "Hey, it's okay", Sirius said quietly, leaning his chin on top of Remus's head: "They know now."

"What a beautiful day outside", Hope announced brightly as she entered the room with a few paper bags hanging from her arms: "Did you boys eat already?"

"We did, thank you", Sirius rotated his head to smile at her over his shoulder: "It was better than I remembered."

Hope laughed lightly, and then Remus could hear her receding footsteps as she called out: "We stopped by at the grocery store – how does cooked salmon sound for dinner?"

"Perfect", Sirius called back and placed his chin back on Remus's head.

"That was weird", Remus whispered.

Sirius snorted. "Right?" he said gently: "We don't have to hide anymore."

"Not from them, anyway", Remus said and immediately hoped he hadn't sounded brusque. He thought about how wonderful it would be to be able to sit like this with all their friends around, not having to jump every time someone entered the room. He thought about holding Sirius's hand in public and speaking about him without having to cut out anything that hinted they were more than just friends. But all in its time.

"Dear lord it is hard to keep up with your mother", Lyall said as he walked into the room, and crashed down on the armchair. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and crossed his hands over his stomach. "What have you boys been up to?"

"Just been watching the telly", Remus said, ignoring the way Sirius's body shook in silent laughter beneath him. "Was town busy?"

"Not terribly", Lyall said, stifling a yawn: "Quite a few people at the mall, but other than that, it was peaceful."

Remus hummed in response, fixing his gaze on the TV. _Friends_ was on now, though Sirius had turned the volume down so low Remus could hardly make out any of it.

"Have you any plans for the night?" Hope walked back into the room, to the other side of the couch. Remus bent his legs to make space for her, and he still felt weird about being so intimate with Sirius while his parents were in the room, even if they were acting like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like they hadn't announced their relationship just last night. Maybe it would always be weird to Remus. 

"Not really", Remus said. Hope turned to look at him, and her eyes momentarily flicked to Sirius's arms crossed over Remus's stomach. She turned back to the TV and Remus could tell she was fighting a smile; the corner of her mouth was twitching up and she tried a little too hard to focus on the programme. That made Remus feel a bit more at ease. This could be their new normal. Perhaps it already was.

***

_Are you up?_

James looked down at his phone screen and smiled. Not at the text, but who'd sent it.

_Very much_ , he replied.

_I need you help. Are you home?_

James shifted a little on the couch. He frowned and checked the time. One in the morning – Regulus would have just finished his shift at the pub.

_Here. All right?_

He sat up, kicked the blanket off his feet and reached for the remote to turn the TV off.

_Five mins_ , was all Regulus's next text read. James felt his heartbeat pick up. Why was Regulus on his way to James's flat at one in the morning on a Friday? Saturday, technically. He got up quickly, folded the blanket neatly over the arm of the couch and did a quick checkup of the state of his apartment. It wasn't too disarrayed, and not much could've been about it in five minutes, anyway – four minutes, now.

Next he checked himself – he was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, his hair was a mess (but when was it not?) and he had thankfully showered before settling on the sofa.

Okay, so, things could have been a lot worse.

_Oh god_. Did Regulus want something to eat? He'd never ask for it, but he might be hungry. Or something to drink? That was probably a good idea, James thought and hurried into the kitchen. He only managed to flick the kettle on before there was already a sharp knock on his door. And two minutes left on the clock. James took a deep breath and strode to the door.

If Regulus standing at his doorstep in the middle of the night would have been an odd sight on its own, it was nothing compared to what James actually found when he opened the door. Lachlan's face was covered in blood and he was leaning heavily against Regulus' shoulder.

"Shit, what–?" James choked out.

"Move", Regulus said in a strained voice, and James jumped aside to let them into the flat. He shut the door behind them and turned to look at Regulus in terror. "We need to get him to lie down", Regulus said, kicking his shoes off. James nodded, hurrying to support Lachlan by the other arm.

They guided him into the living room and onto the couch that James had been lounging on just moments prior.

"Get a towel or something", Regulus said, kneeling beside Lachlan: "And a first-aid kit."

James nodded and complied; he ran into the kitchen to find the first-aid supplies and threw the bag to Regulus before fetching a towel from the bathroom. He was at the door getting back when he realized he ought to get another one, turned around and grabbed a smaller hand towel, wet it under the sink and returned to the living room. Regulus lifted Lachlan's head just enough so that James could place the dry towel under him to stop the blood from staining the couch.

"What happened?" James asked, standing over the couch, as he watched Regulus pull things out of the first-aid kit and get to work.

"I don't know", Regulus said, accepting the wet towel from James and gently starting to sweep blood off Lachlan's face: "I found him like this a street away from the pub when I was walking back home – sorry, I panicked, and your place was closest."

"It's okay", James said with a quick shake of his head: "How did– has he said anything?"

"Mumbled something about a bunch of assholes", Regulus said with a huff: "He's drunk out of his arse, though, so I couldn't make out much."

James nodded, his mouth dry. That made something click in his head.

"I'll get water", he said, turned on his heel and went into the kitchen to find a bottle from the fridge. He returned to the living room and handed it out to Regulus, who unscrewed the cap and placed his hand under Lachlan's neck to get him to sit up a little.

"Here, Lachlan", he said, bringing the bottle to Lachlan's mouth.

"I can drink for myself, thank you very much", Lachlan mumbled, and James grimaced at the sight of his bloody mouth. He looked like he was missing a tooth.

"Fucking hell", James breathed and knelt down beside Regulus: "Lachlan, do you remember what happened?"

"They were calling out to me", Lachlan slurred out, attempting a weak grin. There was indeed a gap in his upper row of teeth. "Said I was a poof."

"Fucking idiots", Regulus muttered, reaching for the disinfectant next: "And you just, what, walked up to them?"

"I couldn't help it", Lachlan said, shaking his head while his eyes slipped shut: "Fucking done with them."

"Shit, I'm sorry, Lachlan", James said, biting his lip: "But you know you ought to be careful with people like... that. Even if they're speaking nonsense, you shouldn't mess with them – not all by yourself, at least."

"But they were speaking the truth", Lachlan said with a rueful smile. James froze in place; so did Regulus. His hand stopped midair and hovered over Lachlan's face as he stared at him. Then he turned to meet James's questioning eyes and gave a small nod. James nodded back stiffly, feeling very much taken aback. _Lachlan was gay?_

Lachlan opened one eye to look at them and snorted. "What, ya act like you've never seen a gay bloke before."

"Okay, Lachlan", Regulus said quickly, resuming his task: "Let's not have this conversation while you're pissed, yeah?"

"Whatever you say, love", Lachlan said, closed his eyes again and leaned his head back against the arm of the couch: "Sorry for ruining your night, James."

"What? No, you haven't ruined anything", James hurried to say: "Don't worry about it, honestly – do you guys want to stay the night? It's late and I honestly don't think you should get... back out there."

Regulus bit his lip, glanced at Lachlan, then at James, and nodded. "Maybe you're right."

"Dips on the couch", Lachlan slurred contently, and Regulus snorted. 

"Should I get a bucket just in case?" James asked, eager to help in any way. 

"I'm not going to throw up, bakery boy", Lachlan said and waved him off with his hand lazily. His head tilted to the side and he let out a shaky breath. James and Regulus shared a look and agreed wordlessly that a bucket would in fact be a great precaution. James got up and went to look for one in the cupboard where he kept his cleaning supplies. He stopped to take a deep breath. 

Well, the night had certainly taken an interesting turn. In many ways, now that he thought of it. 

When he returned to the living room, Lachlan looked half asleep. Regulus had finished cleaning up his wounds and set the first-aid kit and the towels onto the coffee table. 

"Do you want tea?" James asked, remembering the hot water waiting ready in the kitchen. 

"Sure", Regulus gave a faint smile: "Do you have a laundry basket somewhere?" He pushed himself off the ground and picked up the towels, holding them up in question. 

"In the bathroom", James said. Regulus nodded and disappeared down the hall. James went into the kitchen to prepare the tea meanwhile. He took his time, mulling the situation over in his mind. He thought about how badly injured Lachlan had looked, with blood dripping down his face and neck. He thought about how lucky it had been that Regulus had found him – Lachlan could be lying in a ditch somewhere, or the side of the road, unconscious in a puddle of blood. And all because some homophobic shitheads were too narrow-minded to understand–

"Hey." 

James snapped back into reality. He glanced down – he was gripping onto the side of the kitchen counter, his knuckles getting paler by the second. Regulus was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his body. 

"Hey", James breathed, loosening his grip and staring at the two ready mugs of tea on the counter: "Sorry, I... got lost somewhere." 

"It's alright", Regulus smiled softly, nodding towards the living room: "Let's drink there? In case he wakes up." 

"Yeah", James nodded quickly, took the mugs with him and entered the den behind Regulus. They sat down on the floor, leaning onto the couch opposite to the one Lachlan was sleeping on. His hand was hanging limply off the edge of the sofa. James thought it looked like from a painting. 

They drunk their tea in silence; James pulled a few blankets from the basket next to the TV stand and handed one to Regulus before draping another one over Lachlan. He went back to sit next to Regulus, who had pulled the white fuzzy blanket tight around himself. It was James's favourite one. 

It felt peaceful somehow, sitting in the dark living room in the middle of the night with a mug of tea in hand. Lachlan was snoring very quietly, both Regulus and James's eyes were trained on him as they sat in silence. The moment didn't quite feel real. 

Regulus shifted beside James after a few minutes. "I've never seen him like this", he said quietly, looking at Lachlan's peaceful face and the rises and falls of his chest. "He never drinks much, I've never seen him so pissed." 

James frowned a little. Now that he thought of it, he'd never seen Lachlan drunk, either. But then again, he hadn't known him for as long as Regulus had. 

"What d'you reckon drove him into it?" James asked and turned to look at Regulus beside him. He was clutching onto his mug with both hands, and he didn't take his eyes off Lachlan as he spoke. 

"I don't know", he whispered: "He was fine this morning, he didn't mention anything bad or anything." 

"This morning?" James asked curiously. Regulus sobered up suddenly and turned to meet James's eyes. 

"Yeah, he stopped by at the pub", he explained: "We grabbed lunch." 

"Oh. Okay", James nodded, setting his mug down on the floor beneath the couch for now. Regulus did the same, then pulled the blanket even tighter around himself. James caught himself staring and quickly turned his gaze forward. 

"You knew about Lachlan?" he asked quietly. He could see Regulus nod from the corner of his eye. 

"We've talked about it, yeah." 

James nodded. His throat felt dry again. 

"He's lucky to have a friend like you." 

Regulus huffed a gentle laugh. He glanced at James and shook his head, smiling. 

"I'm serious", James frowned a little, feeling his expression soften at the mere sight or Regulus's dimples. After a moment's hesitation, he cleared his throat and gave an amused smile: "Bakery boy?" 

"Oh god", Regulus snorted and hid his face in the blanket. He shook his head and gave an apologetic look. "He's just teasing you, don't take it seriously." 

"It's fine", James waved him off: "I'll start calling him kangaroo boy and we're even." 

Regulus laughed, tilting his head back. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat and James was once again stricken by his ethereal beauty. Regulus had a nice laugh, too, but James heard it much too seldom for his liking. 

"Yeah, you do _that_ ", Regulus huffed a laugh, tilting his chin down. James could have sworn he was trying to hide a smile. 

They fell into silence again. Regulus lifted his head after a moment and turned to look at Lachlan with a funny expression, like he was trying to read the emotion on his peaceful face. James stared into space for a moment, not really thinking of anything. The shiver than ran through his body brought him back to present time. Regulus must have noticed, because he turned to look at James and shifted. 

"Sorry, we're taking all your blankets", he said with a sheepish smile and began to untangle himself from the one he was wrapped in. 

"No, it's fine", James hurried to say and turned his head to look for the one he'd had on when Regulus had texted him. He spotted it after a second, lying on the arm of the couch, right under Lachlan's head. Well. He settled back against the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Here", Regulus said quietly next to him and draped the white blanket over the both of them. James had to inch a little closer so that they both fit, and he tried to not pay attention to their arms grazing against each other under the cover. It was warm and cozy under the blanket, but James wasn't sure how much Regulus's presence had to do with that. 

"You can take my bed if you want", James offered after a moment: "You must be tired from your shift, I can stay here and make sure Lachlan's okay." 

"No, James, you shouldn't have to do that", Regulus turned to look at him and shook his head, frowning. 

"I can wake you up if he wakes up", James shrugged; Regulus really did look exhausted. 

"No, this is already too much", Regulus said quietly, moving his hand under the blanket to touch James's arm: "Honestly. Thank you." 

James gave him a small smile and ducked his head to look down. He knew he ought to get to bed soon, if only to give Regulus a chance to rest, too, but some selfish part of him wanted to stay there under the blanket, with Regulus's hand still resting gently on his arm. 

"We should go to bed", the altruistic part of him said. Regulus's hand slipped away from his arm, leaving behind nothing but tingles and a rapid heartbeat. 

"Oh, of course", Regulus said and started to push the blanket off of them. James stood up, grabbed their empty mugs and went to put them in the sink. He switched off the kitchen lights and returned to the living room where Regulus was standing in his work t-shirt and jeans. 

"Do you want something more comfortable to wear?" James asked for some reason that he couldn't quite comprehend; he knew it wasn't because he wanted to be a good host. It was something more personal. 

"If you don't mind", Regulus smiled sheepishly. James shook his head and went to find a pair of sweats and a soft t-shirt from his room, then brought them back to the living room with a duvet and the extra pillow he always had in his bed. 

"Thank you", Regulus accepted them with an apologetic smile: "I seriously can't thank you enough – fuck, I'm sorry about this." 

James shook his head: "Don't apologize – it's nothing, honestly. I was having a boring night in, anyway, you didn't interrupt anything." 

Regulus gave a small nod, then held the pile of clothes up and said: "I should get changed." 

"Yeah, of course", James said, stepping towards his bedroom: "Good night – wake me up if you need anything at any point." 

"Thanks. Night", Regulus smiled. He disappeared into the bathroom with the clothes and James went into his room and shut the door behind him. He went to his closet and pulled out an old blanket to make up for the lack of a duvet in his bed. 

***

When James padded his way into the living room the next morning, he found both Lachlan and Regulus awake, sitting on the same couch and mumbling something quietly to each other. Lachlan had a blanket over him and was clutching the bucket to his chest; Regulus was facing him, sitting sideways on the couch. He had a hand on Lachlan's shoulder. 

"Morning", James said, stepping further into the room. They both whipped their heads around, straightening up, and Regulus snatched his hand back. 

"Morning, mate", Lachlan said with a discomfited smile. His face was looking pretty nasty, even though Regulus had managed to sort most of it out last night. "Really sorry about this all." 

"It's fine", James shook his head: "Shit, do you remember everything from last night?" 

"Pretty much", Lachlan said slowly: "I remember walking home from The Willow – it's this, um... gay bar, down the street." He glanced awkwardly at both Regulus and James: "Some blokes started shouting at me from the distance, and I guess I just... snapped?" 

Regulus tutted. "You can't just go up to a group of twats and start swinging your fists", he gushed, frowning. 

"Oi, I know, all right?" Lachlan raised his brows: "I was drunk, remember?" 

"I remember", Regulus muttered, slumping down on the sofa and folding his arms before him. He glanced at Lachlan from the corner of his eye: "What was _that_ about, anyway?" 

Lachlan bit his lip and gave a small shrug. James got the feeling his presence wasn't helping right then – Lachlan was much less likely to open up when he was in the room – so he announced he was going to head into the kitchen to make them breakfast. 

"You don't have to", Lachlan shook his head quickly: "Please, we've overstayed our welcome by far too long." 

"He's right, James", Regulus turned to look over his shoulder, nodding: "We'll grab something on our way back – Lachlan, you good to move?" 

"Yeah, of course–" 

"Nonsense", James shook his head: "Stay for breakfast at least, yeah?" 

Lachlan and Regulus both looked ready to object, but James flashed them a quick grin and fled the room before they could get a say in. 

In the kitchen he started pulling out breakfast supplies and got coffee brewing. He could hear muffled voices coming from the living room and made sure to clank the dishes and pots as loudly as he could to give them the privacy their conversation clearly required. 

Lachlan and Regulus entered the room ten minutes later, both wearing unreadable expressions. They looked like they had been fighting and were trying to hide it; James noticed they were trying to act normal, but they weren't looking at each other properly. He sat them down at the table and brought in the pots and plates, talking cheerfully as he did so. If they wanted to pretend everything was okay, playing along seemed like the right thing to do. 

"Sleep well?" he asked, although maybe a little stupidly, given Lachlan's drunken state last night and the fact that they'd both slept on a couch. 

"Mmhm, a comfortable pair of couches you've got there", Lachlan said with a smile, forking scrambled eggs into his mouth. James looked at Regulus, who nodded in agreement. 

And that was that for breakfast talk – they ate in silence, James was too scared to open his mouth again and Lachlan and Regulus kept avoiding each other's eyes. 

"I really ought to pay you somehow", Regulus said awkwardly, helping to clean the table after they'd eaten while Lachlan went to put his shoes on in the hallway. 

"Stop, Reg", James said, turning to look over his shoulder from the sink: "I told you, it's fine." 

"Still", Regulus sighed as he brought the last of the dishes for him to wash. He placed a hand on James shoulder: "We'll get going, but thank you. Honestly." 

James smiled over his shoulder, for he couldn't really do much with his hands in the soapy water. Regulus was gone from his side within a second, and then he heard quiet whispering from the hallway. Lachlan appeared in the kitchen the next moment, clearing his throat from the doorway. 

"I can't thank ya enough, really", he said with a painful smile: "Promise you I'm not usually like that." 

James shook his head and returned the smile, only a softer version of it. "Happens to everyone, trust me." 

"I guess", Lachlan huffed a laugh: "Thank you." 

James waved him off, awkwardly splashing water all over the counter, and turned back to the sink, wincing. 

"Bye!" came Lachlan's voice from the front door after a few seconds before it slammed shut. James pulled his hands out of the sink, dried them with a kitchen towel and ran a hand across his face, sighing. That selfish part of him had awaken again, and this time it was screaming with jealousy. 

***

"Care to explain?" Regulus pushed his hand against the front door before Lachlan could shove his key into the lock. 

"Not really", Lachlan mumbled, turning the four-leaved clover shaped key fob in his hands. He found the right key and pushed it through the keyhole, glancing at Regulus's hand against the wood. "Care to move?" he asked with exaggerated politeness. 

"Not really", Regulus cocked an eyebrow. 

Lachlan sighed. "Can we at least do this inside? Don't fancy the whole street hearing." 

Regulus hesitated, but lifted his hand off in the end, allowing Lachlan to open the door, and followed him into the flat. They took their shoes off in silence and found their way into the living room, where Lachlan crashed down on the sofa and buried his face into his hands. He let out a breathy groan and tilted his head back. 

"Bring me a Nurofen, please?" 

Regulus grunted in response and went to look for one in the far left kitchen cupboard, where Lachlan kept all his medicines. He grabbed a glass of water and returned into the living room, handing them out to Lachlan before taking a seat next to him. 

"Cheers", Lachlan mumbled and swallowed the pill dry, then downed half of the water in one go and set the glass on the coffee table. 

"I've got work", Regulus said, glancing at the green digital numbers on the TV box: "So chop chop." 

"You're mean", Lachlan glared at him. He twisted his hands in his lap anxiously, a gesture that was very un-Lachlan-like in Regulus's opinion. "James is not the only one I told last night." 

"What?" Regulus startled, turning to face him on the couch. Lachlan gave him a sad smile. "Who?" 

"My Mom." 

"Lachlan, I– I didn't know", Regulus stuttered and chanced placing a hand on Lachlan's knee. He didn't push it away. 

"She didn't take it quite as well", Lachlan let out a humourless laugh. "First she told me to come home on the next plane, because _who knows what I'm doing here_ – okay, she's got a point there", he said, glancing pointedly at Regulus's hand on his knee: "Anyhow, then she told me not to come home at all." 

"What... That's terrible", Regulus frowned: "She really said that?" 

"Yup. Not like she actually meant it", Lachlan shrugged his shoulders: "Still. It's a shitty reaction." 

More than shitty, Regulus thought. 

"And you went to The Willow after that–?" 

"Exactly", Lachlan smirked: "Bloody good way to show her, right? Well, at least until..." 

"I was worried sick last night", Regulus shook his head: "Shit, it could have ended much more badly." 

"Hey, don't think about that, okay?" Lachlan rotated to face him and swept a thumb across Regulus's bottom lip. His eyes were sad and he pulled away, starting to twist his hands again. 

"I wish you would've told me", Regulus started, throat dry: "Drinking's never the option, Lachlan..." 

"Don't I know that?" Lachlan snapped his head around, eyes defying: "Don't I _fucking_ _know_ _that_ , Regulus?" 

Regulus gave a small shrug, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. 

"Well, I do", Lachlan mumbled: "That's why I never drink more than I know I can manage." 

Regulus nodded: "Okay. Sorry, of course. I just... last night..." 

"I know I was bloody drunk off my arse, alright?" Lachlan huffed: "No need to lecture me, it's not my fault those fuckers decided it was a good time to get on my nerves." 

"Of course it's not your fault", Regulus hurried to say, leaning forward: "It's never... god, I'm so sorry that happened to you, I wish I'd been there." 

"What, and then we'd both have gotten beaten up?" Lachlan muttered: "As if _you_ know how to fight." He was staring pointedly at the carpet, but Regulus could see the corner of his mouth twitching. "Wish James had been there, he would have shown them right off the bat." 

Regulus hummed in agreement. They both fell into thought for a bit. 

"You called him bakery boy last night." 

"Did I?" Lachlan turned to look at him, eyebrows raised, and Regulus wasn't sure whether he was pretending not to remember or if he actually didn't. 

"You did", Regulus replied flatly: "Had a nice time explaining that one." 

"Just doing you a favour", Lachlan said, eyes back on the carpet, and bit back a smirk. 

"Asshole", Regulus gave him a gentle shove, and Lachlan grinned at the glare he received. 

" _And_ you're welcome", Lachlan added with a cocked eyebrow. 

"For what?" Regulus asked absently, glancing at the clock. He really had to get going soon if he fancied showing up at work on time. 

"Snatched both the blankets for myself", Lachlan replied nonchalantly, stretching his limbs languidly. 

"You saw that?" Regulus jerked his head around to look at Lachlan. 

"No, _big brain_ , my eyes were closed. I _heard_ you", Lachlan smirked mid-yawn: "You two dunces don't know how to whisper, I'll tell you that much." 

Regulus raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Thought you were asleep."

Lachlan shrugged and stifled another yawn. "I was in and out of it the whole time." 

"Could have fooled me." 

"Hey, I wasn't _eavesdropping_ ", Lachlan sent him an unimpressed look, then closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch: "I'm not that low. I just happened to fall back into consciousness right then, and mind you, I really, _really_ felt like throwing up – but being the great wingman I am, I let you guys enjoy your sweet moment." 

"Noble of you", Regulus mumbled. 

"Right?" 

Regulus sent him a half-glare, half-smile, but Lachlan still had his eyes closed and was perfectly oblivious about the pair of eyes on him. Or so Regulus thought. 

"What're you staring at?" 

"How did you know?" Regulus asked: "Starting to think you've got some freaky sixth sense." 

"I guessed", Lachlan shrugged: "What's up?" 

"You", Regulus said without missing a beat: "Are you okay?" 

"Mm", Lachlan said, tilting his head from side to side, as if to check how he felt: "I'm all right, you know... considering." 

"Yeah", Regulus bit his lip and glanced at the clock again, sighing: "I hate that I have to leave, but I'd rather not be late – you could come hang out at the pub if you don't want to be alone?" 

Regulus would have rather taken Lachlan with him than left him all by himself in the apartment, but he wasn't going to drag him out unwillingly. 

"Meh, I'm alright", Lachlan said, opening one eye: "You're a good mate." 

"Thanks, you too", Regulus replied dryly as he hoisted himself off the couch. 

"No, I mean it", Lachlan said, sounding much more serious than he had before: "Don't know where I'd be right now." 

"Probably lying on a street somewhere", Regulus smiled humourlessly. 

"Probably." 

Regulus sighed and gave him a faint smile. "Promise you're okay?" 

"I'm fine", Lachlan nodded with a smile of his own; it was soft and genuine and made Regulus's heart ache. His voice was solemn when he spoke, too: "I'll get through it." 

Regulus breathed out through his nose, smiling as he looked down into Lachlan's bright blue eyes. He had no doubt about it: Lachlan would get through anything. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: harassment and sexual assault are briefly discussed in this chapter (nothing graphic and only shortly, but it's still worth the content warning OBVIOUSLY) 
> 
> (I've addressed more of that in the end notes of the chapter; please give it a read before or after you've read the chapter. Important stuff.)

Remus took a deep breath as he tied his apron around his waist. He was wearing his new work t-shirt with the pub's name and logo on the back. His things were sitting on one of the stools in the backroom. He'd spent the past two days stressing over starting his new job on Monday, and here he was, about to walk to the floor for his first shift. 

"Remus! Forgot you were starting today", Mary entered the room, smiling brightly: "I'm so happy I get to be here for your first day." 

Remus gave her a nervous smile. He liked Mary – she was funny and laid-back and kind, and Remus was glad she was there for his first day, too. 

"Nervous?" Mary asked, set her things on the only free stool left (that would be a problem on breaks, Remus thought) and started to put her apron on. 

"A little", Remus smiled, fiddling with the rim of his apron: "Thankfully you're here. And Reg." 

"Yeah, he's shit at showing how stuff is done, though", Mary grinned, pulling her dark hair on a ponytail: "He goes way too fast and does everything in his own way – poor Lachlan had to try and follow his vague instructions before I stepped in." 

"Oh", Remus huffed a laugh. He was _really_ glad Mary was there, now. 

"Come on, let's get to the floor", she gestured to the door: "We'll get you started." 

Regulus was already behind the counter when they entered the bar floor. He gave a small wave and a smile, then stepped aside as Mary patted his arm to indicate him to move. "I'm taking care of Remus's training", she announced. 

"Go ahead", Regulus raised an eyebrow, then turned to Remus and mumbled: "Watch out, she wants everything to be done perfectly." 

"Not perfectly", Mary snapped her head around: "Just better than _you_ do it." 

Regulus opened his mouth dramatically and brought his hand over his heart with a fake hurt impression. "Ouch, Macdonald." 

"You're starting to remind me of your brother. Get over it", Mary patted him on the shoulder: "All right, Remus, let's start from the till – I'll show you how it works, it's really easy, and you can take care of it for today's shift if you like?" 

Remus nodded. That sounded great, in fact – he figured he'd learn to use the till much faster than to make the drinks. 

"Okay, so here's everything on the list. They might ask for weird stuff too, just hit those as whatever's in there – say they want Bacardi mixed with something weird, just press that button there. If they want soda separately with their shot, ask whether they want a small cup or a bigger one, et cetera. Got it?" 

"I think so..." Remus said slowly, eyeing the screen of the till. There were far too many drink options for his liking. 

"Right, you'll learn that as you go – I can help you with the till today, you might feel a bit slow at first but it'll come to you. Okay, let's go over the most common drinks, yeah?" 

Remus swallowed and nodded. He was usually good at memorizing stuff, but this was all so new to him. 

Mary guided him around and started pointing in front of her. "Okay, we've got the beer tap there for just the basic beer, and a few more special brands of beer, they're all in the fridge, second and third from the bottom – long drinks, those are easy to remember, yeah? White wine, top shelf. We don't have red, if someone asks for that. Water and milk on the bottom shelf." 

Remus scanned the fridge with his eyes. That stuff seemed simple enough. Mary tilted Remus's head down with her hand and pointed at the three smaller fridges hidden under the counter. Remus sighed. Perfect. 

"Okay, here we've got the ciders and alcohol-free drinks, tonics and stuff like that in the second one. Coca Cola and Sprite from those taps there." 

"Battery?" Remus eyed the third fridge skeptically. There were cans of energy drinks and bottles of soda water. 

"With Jägermeister", Mary nodded: "Not saying I've tasted it, but it's _so_ _good_." She winked at him and walked over to where Regulus was leaning onto the counter. "Move, please", she gave an angelic smile and Regulus made a face, but stepped aside. 

"Right, here are the spirits, liqueurs and all of that – we like to keep them in a particular order, but _someone_ seems to always ruin that", she said pointedly, glaring over her shoulder at Regulus, who gave a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Honestly, Remus, it'll be a lot easier if you keep things in order – Reg is terrible at that, and he taught Lachlan his bad habits, so yeah. It's hell for me and Annie." 

Remus smiled absently, eyes scanning over the various bottles of alcohol on the counter. Gin, vodka, Malibu, coffee liqueur, sour apple liqueur... Mary said they were organized in a particular order, but Remus couldn't quite figure out what that order was – it was just a row of random bottles to him. 

"Right, so four centilitres per drink, okay?" Mary was saying, pointing at the metallic measure tools: "If they want a double shot, then it's double the price. Ask if they want ice – that's over there, I'll show you how to change it when we have to – or something to dilute it with. That would be soda, for example. Usually they just have it raw. Use that smaller measure for whiskey. Oh, and three four centilitre measures for wine, okay?" 

_Smaller measure for whiskey. Three four centilitre measures for wine_ , Remus repeated in his head. 

"Okay", he nodded with a sigh, trying hard to press everything into memory. 

"Hey, don't worry about it", Mary placed a comforting hand on his arm: "It'll all come with a bit of practise." 

Remus gave her a grateful smile and eyed the long list of special drinks on the counter. 

"Oh, that", Mary gave a light laugh: "People rarely take those – it's beer or a shot, most of the time – but that's why you don't have to worry about memorizing them. Of course that makes it easier, but not something you should stress about. If they want something with two different liqueurs in it, then it's two centilitres of each – that's the smallest measure, yeah?" 

Remus nodded again. 

"And someone _will_ come and ask you for a drink that you've never heard of before, trust me", Mary shook her head, letting out a huff of air: "Just ask what's in it and if we have it, make it, if we don't... shame. They'll have to order something else." 

Mary showed him the rest of the drinks, the coffee press, how to clean everything up, things Remus should try and remember to do if he had spare time. After she was done with her round of instructions, Remus's head felt like it might explode. He had tried to categorize the information in his head, but it all just seemed to be floating there, in no particular order. 

"Hey, you'll learn", Regulus patted him on the shoulder; he must have noticed the overwhelmed look on Remus's face: "Honestly, when I first started here, I was completely out of it. I had no idea what I was doing, but once you get practising, it shouldn't be too hard." 

Remus gave him a grateful smile. Maybe he'd get the hang of it at some point. 

"Okay, last thing", Mary came back to him after having dealt with a customer at the till. Being a weekday, and still early afternoon, there weren't many people in the pub, which made Remus feel a bit more at ease. Mary cleared her throat and gave a loaded sigh. "A lot of assholes come here – we've got some lovely customers too, of course, and a lot of the regulars are just wonderful once you get to know them. But as I said, _a lot_ of assholes." 

Regulus nodded in confirmation behind her, eyes wide to amplify the point. 

"Don't take anything personally, okay?" Mary said solemnly. "They will call you names and try and get under your skin – most of them are drunk, too, and that's no excuse for anything, but it does mean that they're a lot more aggressive than they normally would be. And even though we work in customer service and _politeness is key_ and blah blah blah", she made a face, "stand up for yourself, don't let them walk all over you. If someone's being rude or– homophobic or something, you have every right to kick them out of the pub. Chances are, they're being rude towards other customers as well." 

"You saw that incident last week at the charity event, right?" Regulus asked from the side, and Remus nodded in confirmation. Regulus gave a small shrug: "Fights happen. Lachlan jumped in because he knew he could handle it, but if two giants were having a go at each other, I wouldn't go and stand between them. Sometimes it's better to try and talk them out of it from the sidelines – and like Mary said, if you have to kick someone out, by all means." 

Remus nodded, swallowing. He could handle a few mean comments, but the idea of people starting to throw fists... 

"Nothing bad's ever happened here", Regulus said, as if reading his mind: "To us staff members nor to any customers, apart from a few hard punches and wounded egos. It's not something you have to worry about all the time, just keep it in mind and be ready if it happens." 

Remus nodded again, giving half a smile. 

"One last thing, something you _should_ be worried about all the time", Mary said, touching his arm again. She had a sad smile on her face. "One thing we've tried to keep an eye on is how women are being treated. The truth, however terrifying it is, is that drinks get spiked, people – girls, more often than not – get sexually harassed, both physically and verbally." She shook her head, mouth a firm line: "We don't tolerate that here. Please jump in if you see anything that even hints to that, yeah?" 

"Of course", Remus breathed, frowning: "God, of course." 

"Good", Mary gave him a soft smile: "It happens way too much, the least we can do is keep an eye on our customers' safety." 

"Hey, first customer?" Regulus asked, nodding in the direction of the door. A young-looking couple had just walked in, holding hands and chattering happily to each other. 

"I'm right behind you", Mary whispered and pushed him forward to take the till. Remus cleared his throat and smiled at the couple approaching the counter. 

"Hey, what can I get you?" he asked, trying his best to sound like this wasn't his first time doing this. His hand was shaking, and he tried to still it by resting it on the counter. 

"A beer, please", the boy said with a heavy Scottish accent, then turned to look at his apparently-girlfriend. 

"I'm fine with a coffee", she said, giving a sweet smile. The knot in Remus's stomach loosened. This wasn't too bad. 

The rest of the day went by fairly smoothly – there weren't too many customers and the ones who Remus was on till for were overall nice people. Then again, had it been the weekend, most of them would have probably been drunk before they even stepped foot into the bar. 

An hour until closing time, Mary gave Remus a quick run-through of all the things they needed to care of before they could close the place up and end their shift. Remus started wiping the tables and mopping the floors while Mary cleaned the bar and Regulus took care of the last few customers, then the till. 

An hour and a half later Remus was walking towards the flat buzzing with excitement. He knew it had been an easy day compared to what was yet to come, but still, he had managed the whole day without making any huge mistakes. He'd gotten some drinks confused and had definitely been much slower than his co-workers when it came to orders, but even Regulus had said he had done better than Lachlan on his first day ("That's because Lachlan got trained by _you_ ", Mary had pointed out matter-of-factly). 

Sirius was in the kitchen when Remus finally stumbled his way in, suddenly exhausted from his first day – and very hungry, the point emphasized by the growling of his stomach just then. 

"I made you dinner", Sirius said from the kitchen table where he was sitting in front of his laptop. Remus stopped in the doorway. 

" _You_ made dinner?" he asked. Sirius closed his laptop with a pointed glare in Remus's direction. 

"Yes, _Remus_ , I know how to cook", he said flatly, standing up and walking to the fridge to pull out a delicious-smelling beef casserole and a dish of mash. Remus could have cried as Sirius made him a heaping plateful and put it in the microwave to heat up. 

"You could have fooled me with the amount of cooking you _actually do_ ", Remus cocked an eyebrow. Sirius tutted and wrapped his arms around Remus, who happily buried his face in Sirius's hair. "Seriously, thank you", he mumbled, giving Sirius a tight squeeze. 

"How was your first day?" Sirius asked, pulling away moments later when the microwave beeped in the background. 

"Surprisingly good", Remus said as he went to get himself a glass of water: "Really good, actually. I really liked it." 

"That's good", Sirius smiled, reaching for a fork and handing it to Remus with the plate. Remus accepted them gratefully, gave Sirius a kiss on the cheek and went to sit at the table. He crossed his legs under him and shoved his fork into the pile of food. 

"This is so good", he said in awe with his mouth full of stew and mash: "What the fuck?" 

Sirius grinned from across the table and gave a small shrug. "It wasn't too hard to make." 

"Remind me again why you never do the cooking?" Remus asked sweetly, forking more beef into his mouth. 

" _Never_ is quite a strong word, don't you think?" Sirius raised his brows, but gave into a smile: "I don't know. I still like it better when we do it together." 

"Me too", Remus nodded in agreement, then pointed his fork at Sirius as he chewed: "Still. You're welcome to make this anytime you want." 

"Well, thank you", Sirius said and leaned back against his chair. Remus could tell he was biting back a self-satisfied smile. "Was Reg at work?" 

"Mmhm", Remus nodded, his mouth too full to form a coherent sound. 

"And...?" 

Remus chewed for a moment before swallowing, and answered: "Mary." 

"Ah", Sirius nodded: "That's nice." 

"It was. It wasn't too busy, though, so I guess I had it easy." 

Sirius made a vague sound of acknowledgement, then stifled a great yawn. 

"Sorry, you can go to bed", Remus said over his now half-finished plate of food: "You didn't have to wait for me." 

"Remus, it's", Sirius checked the time on his phone, "ten in the evening. I'm fine." 

"Okay. Just saying, if you want to go ahead." 

"Soon", Sirius yawned again, stretching his arms overhead. 

Remus finished his dinner quickly, partly because it was so delicious and he was ravenous, partly because Sirius had a hard time holding back his yawns. 

"Thank you", Remus said finally as he stood up. He grabbed his plate and pressed a kiss to Sirius's mouth: "So good. Thank you."

"You're welcome", Sirius smiled dozily, giving in to another yawn. Remus took his plate to the sink and decided he'd take care of the dishes in the morning. Right now he just wanted to take a shower and fall into bed. 

"Shower", he ruffled Sirius's hair on his way to the bathroom: "Go to bed." 

"Aye aye, captain", Sirius said, heavily clinging himself up from his chair: "Be quick." 

Remus smiled to himself as he watched Sirius disappear into his bedroom down the hall, then jumped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. 

***

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Remus panted, stopping for a breather. Sirius jogged a few more steps, then glanced over his shoulder and jogged backwards to Remus. 

"You're doing great", he said and wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his running shirt. 

Remus looked up from where he was bent over, hands on his knees, and let out a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this over with", he said and straightened up. 

"That's the spirit", Sirius grinned, clapped him on the back and started down the street again, Remus following close behind. Attending Sirius's morning runs was a fairly new thing to him, but he found he didn't mind it as much as he'd thought. Something about getting a good sweat in before work actually made him feel quite accomplished. And he really ought to get more fit. 

They raced the last hundred meters to their apartment, and while Remus had no chance at beating Sirius, he was quite proud of his not being too far behind. 

"Look at you", Sirius said with a look of surprise as Remus stopped beside him, panting hard: "A few more runs and you're going to beat me outright, no doubt." 

"Like hell I am", Remus said, placing his hands on his hips as he tried to steady his breath, and held back a smile. 

"Lunch before work?" Sirius offered as they started making their way up the stairs and into the flat. 

"Sure. Molly's?" 

"You know it", Sirius grinned. He patted his pockets, found the key and pushed it into the lock, then opened the door to let Remus in first. "Dips on the shower!" he said quickly. 

"Not fair", Remus pointed a finger at him, toeing his shoes off: "But I'll let you– ha!" He ducked out of the hallway, starting full-speed towards the bathroom. 

"Oi!" Sirius called out and was behind him in an instant. He tried to grab the material of Remus's shirt, but with little success, and Remus managed to slam the door shut before his face. He quickly locked it as Sirius started rattling the handle.

"Remus..." he coaxed forlornly. 

Remus smirked as he pulled off his running clothes, picturing Sirius on the other side of the door with his forehead resting against the wood. "Sorry, I was faster", he said with a sing-song voice, reaching to turn the shower on. There was a moment of silence from the other side of the wall. 

"Let me in with you, then?" Sirius asked sweetly. 

"No", Remus said as he pulled off his boxers and threw them in the laundry hamper. 

"Please..." 

"No, admit your defeat." 

"Fine", Sirius said flatly, his voice muffled out by the running water: "I'll go brew myself coffee, then." 

"Make me a cup of tea?" Remus called out angelically, thoroughly enjoying his moment of victory. 

"No", came Sirius's voice, then receding footsteps. Remus grinned to himself and reached for the shampoo. 

He exited the bathroom five minutes later to find Sirius sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and his phone in front of him – and a huge mug of tea waiting at Remus's spot. Remus smiled to himself as he sat down, still in his towel. 

"Thanks", he said, trying to hide his amusement, and glanced at Sirius, who made a vague noise of acknowledgement. 

"Shower-hog", he mumbled, narrowing his eyes at Remus. Remus snorted and reached to poke Sirius's shin with his toe. 

"You take way longer than me, it's only fair I get to go first." 

"Fine", Sirius sent him a look, then gave into a smile and turned back to his phone: "Who are you on shift with today?" 

"Lachlan and Annie, I think", Remus said slowly: "When have you got to be at the gym?" 

Sirius clicked his phone shut and gave a long stretch before answering: "Half twelve." Remus glanced at the clock and nodded; they still had a good few hours to get ready and grab lunch. 

"Right, my turn", Sirius said, slammed his hands to the table and stood up. He eyed Remus's towel-covered body on his way out, then met his eyes and gave a wink. Remus snorted and clung himself up too, to go and get dressed. He put his work t-shirt on and a sweater on top, then opted for black jeans and dark green socks. He returned to the kitchen to pour himself another cup of tea, then settled into the living room to wait for Sirius to finish his shower. 

Sirius took another ten minutes, which wasn't unusual for him and his headful of hair, and padded into the living room with nothing but his boxers on. He took Remus's cup from his hand, placed it on the coffee table and all but fell on top of him, giving out a long sigh. Remus held his right hand up to save his book from the drops of water dripping down Sirius's hair. 

"Wake me up when we have to go", Sirius mumbled into Remus's sweater. 

"Might want to get dressed before that", Remus pointed out. 

Sirius lifted his head to cock an eyebrow at Remus: "Are you complaining?" 

"I didn't say _that_ ", Remus said, bringing his free hand to rest on top of Sirius's upper back. Sirius muttered something along the lines of 'thought so' and pressed his face back into the fabric of Remus's shirt. Remus smiled to himself, brought the book back to eye-level and absently rubbed Sirius's shoulders and neck with one hand while he read on, every once in a while lifting his hand off him to turn the page. 

"What are you reading?" Sirius asked half an hour later, startling Remus, whose hand had stilled on Sirius's back at some point. 

" _The Great Gatsby_ ", he said, turning the book in his hand to look at the cover. Sirius lifted his head up and raised his brows. 

" _I've_ read that book", he stated bluntly. 

"So have I", Remus said with a small smile and marked his page, then shut the book and gave Sirius's head a gentle slap with it: "About five times before." 

"Oh", Sirius said and rolled his eyes, then settled back on Remus's chest: "Thought there was a book I've read that you haven't." 

"Not this one, at least", Remus hummed, reaching to set the book on the table next to his now presumably cold tea. _The Great Gatsby_ was one of his favourites, always had been. He brought his hands into Sirius's hair and ruffled it at the sides. "Should you go and get dressed?" he asked sweetly, rubbing little circles on Sirius's temples. 

Sirius made a vague humming sound in response, and Remus really couldn't tell whether it was in agreement or objection. 

"I'm comfortable", he mumbled and brought his hands to stroke Remus's sides: "Can we just stay here?" 

"I wish", Remus said and kissed the top of Sirius's head before making an effort to snake out from under him – but with little success. Sirius shook his head against Remus's chest and Remus couldn't help but laugh at the sight of sulky Sirius. "Come on, Sirius", he coaxed, patting the top of his head gently: "We need to get to work." 

"No." 

"Lunch", Remus reminded: "Molly's." 

Sirius's body stiffened for a second, and then he lifted his head again and gave Remus a look of painful consideration. "Okay, fine", he yielded in the end, pushing onto his elbows and then off the couch: "Can't say no to that. And I bloody miss her." 

"Me too", Remus agreed, sitting up now that Sirius's weight was no longer on him: "I'm definitely having meatballs and mash." 

"But the chicken soup", Sirius whined and pulled his face into a painful frown: "It's too hard a choice." 

"Right, shit", Remus brought a hand over his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger dramatically. He then snapped his fingers and said: "Okay, here's what we'll do: you take the soup, I take the mash, and we'll share." 

Sirius pointed a finger at him from across the room where he was making his way into his bedroom and nodded solemnly. "Solid plan", he said, then disappeared out of view. Remus went to grab the rest of his things from his own bedroom and then went to put on his shoes while he waited for Sirius. Sirius came down the hallway a couple of minutes later, clad in a hoodie and jeans, gym back hoisted over one shoulder. 

"Let's go", he gave Remus a quick kiss, and then they were out the door. 

Half an hour later they were sitting at their regular table at Molly's – the best lunch spot in town – with a plateful of meatballs and mash and a bowl of chicken soup in front of them. Sirius handed Remus the second spoon he'd asked for, then picked up a fork and fished a meatball with it, pushing it into his mouth and giving a contented moan. 

"Shut up", Remus laughed: "There are others here." 

"They know what I'm on about", Sirius shook his head and let out another moan, closing his eyes to indicate his point. 

"Oh! If it isn't my two favourite boys!" 

Remus and Sirius both whipped their heads around, grinning. Molly Weasley approached them from the direction of the kitchen, a warm smile on her face. 

"Don't tell that to James", Sirius said as he clung himself up and went in for a hug: "Hello, Molly. How's the baby?" 

"He's wonderful", Molly smiled, turning to hug Remus next: "Arthur's taking care of him today, I just _had_ to get a day of work in... I'm going crazy with the amount of time I've been spending home lately!" 

"I can imagine", Remus smiled, settling back into his chair. 

"Enjoying the food?" she asked sweetly. 

"You've no idea", Remus said, glancing at Sirius, who smirked as he popped another meatball into his mouth. 

"Well then, I'll leave you to it", Molly smiled and patted Remus on the shoulder, then ruffled Sirius's hair before turning around to return to the kitchen. 

"Bye, Molly", Remus gave a small wave. 

"Thanks, love", Sirius sent her the most angelic smile he could muster, and received a kick from Remus for it. 

"I hate you", Remus tutted at him, fighting back a smile. 

"What? She's the sweetest", Sirius said with a shrug, but his own lip was tugging, too. 

"Oh yeah, keep flirting with all the people twice your age. I don't mind." 

"Okay, first of all she's not _twice_ _my age_ , second of all, it's not _flirting_ , Remus dear", Sirius said, leaning forward to place his chin on his hand: "And in case you haven't noticed, my type is more young blokes than old ladies." 

Remus snorted, then reached for the bowl of chicken soup and took his first spoonful. It was heavenly. "I could eat litres of this", he said, sighing contently. 

"I don't doubt it", Sirius smirked, pulling the bowl closer to himself. Remus scowled at him and reached to take another spoonful. 

"So, what's the plan for today?" he asked.

"Two PT sessions first", Sirius got out with soup in his mouth, then swallowed and continued: "And then the rest of the time we're planning this open day thing for next week – people can come in and try the gym for free." 

"Oh, that sounds nice", Remus nodded. 

"Yeah, except Marlene wants me to teach a yoga class", Sirius glowered, flipping Remus off when he couldn't contain his laughter and nearly choked on his soup. 

"I'll definitely be attending that", he managed to get out. 

"Don't", Sirius warned him glumly: "I mean, why _yoga_? I don't bloody know how to do yoga. Why not Body Combat or something cool like that?" 

"Yoga _is_ cool", Remus raised an eyebrow: "And I'm sure it's going to be... entertaining. For the attendees, at least." 

"I guess", Sirius sighed: "But seriously speaking, I've been thinking of attending a Body Combat instructor course – don't laugh at me." 

"I'm not laughing at you", Remus frowned lightly: "That sounds incredible!" 

"Yeah, well it's something I'm considering", Sirius said with a small smile: "Marlene reckons people would be interested if the gym offered that kind of thing." 

"Go for it", Remus said reassuringly. 

Sirius hummed vaguely. "I might." 

They finished lunch, said goodbye to Molly and then headed towards their designated workplaces. It was lucky, Remus thought, that the gym and the pub were so close to each other in location. It would be way easier for Sirius and him to have lunch together now, or walk to work at the same time if their schedules matched. 

"Good luck", Sirius said and butted Remus's hip with his own; a gesture that could easily be mistaken as friendly, but to Remus it was what he got instead of a kiss when they were out in public – that made him smile. They might not be at the PDA point yet, but whatever small gesture Sirius made meant the world to him. 

"Thanks", Remus replied, turning to cross the street: "Say hi to Marlene for me." 

"We'll see", Sirius said mysteriously. Remus rolled his eyes. 

He parted ways with Sirius and entered the pub moments later. 

"Remus! Good to see ya!" Lachlan smiled from the counter. 

"Likewise", Remus grinned nervously: "Hi, Annie." 

"Hi there", Annie waved from where she was wiping tables: "Spoke with Regulus this morning, he said you were like an old hand yesterday!" 

"Don't know about that", Remus said sheepishly, heading for the staff door. 

"Oh, don't be modest", she laughed: "I'm sure you did great." 

Remus gave a small smile and hurried through the door and into the backroom to take off his sweater and leave his things there. He grabbed his apron from the back of the chair he'd left it on and tied it around his waist while he walked back to the pub floor. He really wished the day would go as smoothly as yesterday. 

"Woah", he stopped in the doorway as he reentered the bar. 

"Yup", Lachlan said with a smirk. Remus frowned slightly, eyeing the group of mostly elderly people who had just walked into the pub and started taking their places at the tables. His eyes flicked to Lachlan, who was drying a pint with a kitchen towel, then back to the customers. Not that he didn't like old people, it was just an odd sight. A bit comical, in his opinion. 

"Bingo night?" he joked, reaching for a cloth to start wiping the bar counter. 

"Afternoon", Lachlan corrected: "Every Tuesday." Remus turned to look at him. 

"You're having me on", he said flatly. 

"Nope", Lachlan replied brightly, starting for the till as one of the older men approached the bar. "Thursday is quiz night", he added over his shoulder, grinning. 

Remus let out a loaded huff. Well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. :) Non-important stuff first: I've got my matriculation examination (read: defines whether I graduate or not) starting tomorrow. Will probably be a little less active with the updates for the next two weeks. 
> 
> Okay now for the IMPORTANT STUFF that I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT & HARASSMENT
> 
> As said, sexual assault was discussed in this chapter, and I partly wanted to bring that up because of what's been on the news lately. It is important that these things are being brought to the attention of everyone. Harassment and sexual assault in any form are NOT OKAY. Yes, that means catcalling. Yes, that means misogynistic jokes. Yes, that means anything physical. It is not okay in any way. The fact that so many women, so many little girls have had to experience something like that... it is terrifying. We should not have to be afraid of walking home, of taking a cab, of using public transport. We should not have to be afraid of going to school or being at home. Yet here we are. Please read into this if you can and spread awareness. I know it is a sensitive topic to many people, how could it not be? It is REALITY to so many people. That brings me onto the next thing. 
> 
> To everyone who has experienced sexual assault or harassment. You're not alone. That is at the same time the most horrifying thing to hear and the most comforting thing to hear. It means that this has happened to so many others, and that's terrible. It also means that there are people out there who know how you feel, who want to help, and the support of other people is, needless to say, comforting. It is hard to talk about, and no one has to unless they're ready. But please know that someone is always willing to listen and help, when you do feel ready. And please know that it is never the victim's fault. Never.   
> You're not alone. I know I'M not alone. 
> 
> I hate that I have to say this, but stay safe wherever you go. <3


End file.
